Cybertronic-The Empire of Steel and Stealth

CYBERTRONIC: Who are the Cybers? How does the corp work? Where do you sign?

COntents Ecii'Wial ................................................... 2 Dilt Qulgler sounds off on the Cybertronic Con­spiracy! Re..ter MaU ••••••••••• - •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 2 Your chance to sound back I 1M~ Day •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••.•••• A By Dan Quigley Where did Cybertronic come from? Dan gives us the •officlat• version, and a few ideas of his own. Tile ~ Plllan ... , ............................... 10 By David M. Honlgsbefg Honigstlerg gives us the skinny on how the Cyber-compeny actwtlly bruks down, dlag~ly speafdnt.

..... and Mlrron: A lad Trip to the Olllir Side of the Mlrronnen .. - ... -.11 .... O.vld Oo.w Crowe gets all the dope on Cybertronic's seawt world. Excellency Through ................... ..23 By William Spencer-#Mie and Michael J. Hill Spencer-Hale and Hill argue that cutting-edge tech is launching us into a new age. Froth. froth I a....- Diplolnllcy .......................... .. By Anthony Ragan What do the other corps think of tbeir new Mlghborl Ragan_... us on a whirlwind., of .mmo.tty .. envy In U.fiurNin WOftdl.

The Cybertronk w., ...................... .37 By Anay Watwick Young Andy explores how the Cybers run their show-as well as who might really be behind the silicon curtain. The Face of • Faceless Entity •••••••••• 42 By Shane Lacy Hensley The Shanester goes after the common Cyber-and finds himself caught in an inter­corporate plot! Cyberlzl"'·· ...................................... .41 By Dik Quigley Dik details how ordinary shmoes become Cybers. Good luck, if that's what you want. The Voice's Last C.ll ••••••••••••••••.•••••• AI By Walter Wilberg A senior vice-president of Cybertronic laughs last in our monthly rebuttal column.

Rs those of you who have been following this rag for a while know, my grandfather Dan

Quigley founded this last bastion of journalistic freedom over 100 years ago as an independent voice in our megacorp-dominated media market. At the time, I'm sure, it seemed like a good idea. After all, every other major maga-zine was published by one of the (at the time) Big Four.

Who was going to tell you about the atrocities that, say, Imperial was committing against Bauhaus? Or what really happens in the Doughpits on Mars? One of the megacorps? Hah!

They were too concerned with their bottom line then, and it's just as true today, if not more so. If it's bad news about them, they try to cover it up, and if it's about some-

DearDik: You're a raving lunatic. How dare you impyune [sic] the Cardinal's word? His mighty wrath will blast your heretical soul apart. You shalt bum in eternal suf­fering for betraying us humans. Maybe you're some kind of Nepharite? Are you hiding horns under your hat? I hate you, you evil man, and I will never buy another issue of your fish rag again! Disgustedly, Agnes Gyrtlesnit

Hey, Agnes/ Ma'am, if we're ticking people like you off, we must be doing something right. Get a life, you senile old bat. -Dik

Editorial body else, well, can you really trust them to tell the honest truth about tlwir competitors? Ml' n('ither.

So Gramps hocked everything he ownt>d and plungt>d lwadlirst into tht' ''orld of independent journa­lism, and when I was old enough, I assumed the mantle. (Apparenlly journalistic integrity skips a genera­lion.)

It's not easy being tllt' person who has to bring you the truth. You can ask the Cardinal all about that (if )OU believe in that sort of thing, and 1 suspect some of you do). The truth is cold and hard, nothing like those lies you tell yourself so you can go to slc('p every night. (There's nothing I can do about it. I'm not important ('nough. I'm powerless. It's not my pt·oblem.)

lf)ou're a reader of the Voice, you\.e got what it take~ to handle

the truth. You're tired of the self-ser­'ing lies the megacorps feed you, th(' ones that arc never in your best interests, no matter what some suit might tell you. Remember, it was the Voice that brought you the real story about the Dark Legion, and now we're stepping up to take on the one of the longest-standing enigmas on the block: Cybertronic.

Despite how long this new mega­corp's been arOlmd, f('w people know a damned thing about it. How did Cybertronic form? What's their connection ''ith the Dark Legion? Why do they give the Brotherhood fits? \Vh:y are some Cybers so mind­numbingly dull? And what's this subrcality thing all about anyway?

I'll be honesl with you. I don't know the answers to all of these questions-and ncilher do my reporters. But we've just started our

investigation, and we've already dis­covered things that are going to curl your toenails.

Even more than I he Dark Legion, Cybertronic is the ~realest mystery to face humanity today. Is this corp our last, best hope to beat the Dark Soul? Or is it an asp curling around our collecti'e ankles, waiting for the right moment to ~ink its poisonous fangs into us? Should we welcome this creature into Olll' homes without knowing more than about it than the chromed face it shows? ~ot on a bet.

1\eep on ) our toes, people. Dark Legion or not, the~e Cybers are up to something, and just like every other megacorp, you can put down your last Crown on the fact that they could hardly have your best inter­ests at heart.

)l ~ Editor

Echoes Mr. Quigley: Mr. Hensley's piece on the Great Resentment was a libelous atrocity. How dare you publish such rubbish? Do you think that we will not retali­ate? My ancestors certainly do not de­serve to have their memories sullied by the kind of pseudo-journalistic hacks that you employ. I am canceling my subscription to your "magazine." You will be hearing from my barrister. Sincerely, Nigel Kingsfield Whoa, Nigel! They actually let you post letters from the asylum? Here's a clue: try writing with something other than a crayon next time. It's a lot easi­er to read. Or don't they let psycho­paths like yourself handle instruments as sharp as a penci/7 -Dik

Dear Dik: Just who do you think you are? What gives the right to publish compro­mising photos of Miss Barnette and myself? I don't know how you came up with such fictions, but I applaud the people in your photo retouching department. These fakes are quite possibly the best I've ever seen.

It was entirely improper of you to insinuate that anything untoward was going on between the two of us. I am a happily married man and an upstanding member of several Bauhaus orders, including the Order of the Silver Discus. If I cannot extract a public apology from you immediately, I am coming down to your offices to pummel out of you whatever sense you might have left. Alexei Valmonte

Yo, Alexei! Our photographer thanks you for posing so nicely for her camera. It's hard to get such out-and-out incriminating photos these days. By the way, for those of you unaware, Alexei here has been divorced by his wife, disowned by his family and is now doing hard time for publicly threatening yours truly in print. When you're up, it's a long way down. At least he'll have a chance to keep his girlish figure while he spends his days making big rocks into small ones. -Dik

I n the forty-fillh year of th<' reign of the Bald Cardinal, Roland Durand XIII, a nt>w player was admitted to

the Sci pen stock exchange on Luna. l\ot only \\as it the largest start-up company to ever v\in admission to the stock exchange. it was instantly thc largest cnmpan) on the exchange's lists- p<•riod-registering with a capi­tal stock of more than 150 billion Car­dinal's Crcm·ns. Its name was Cyber·­lronic Investment, Inc., a name that peoplr \\Ould C'Ome to know and even fear.

Cll, as it was then known, had start­ed out its iUustrious rise to power five )t'at''> t'Miier as a Bauhaus subsidiary, but b~ tlw lime it \\as admitted to Sci­pen, it was almost entirely indepen­dc•nt, "ith h•ss U1an 6% external hold­ing~. Most of these were O\\,led b)' Bauhaus Elector Houses or e' t'n dirC('th b) the Bauhaus corporation itself. The vast majority of the compa­ny was owned by a secret board of directOI'S, only few of whom CVCl'

publicly r(•vcaled their identities. Rumor has placed such august per­sonalities as Bauhaus Duke Romanov and CH'll U1e \lishiman Owrlord himself on this powerful panel, but none of llwse :.peculations ha' e e\ er• been confirmed.

At U1e time ofCll's admission to Seipen , Raoul Mannerheim \'\as the Chairman of the Board, and Tom McClusky was Ute company's man­ugin~ dirN'lor. While these names meant little to most people at the tim<', th<•y have since become nc•al'ly as famous as llif' Imperial Serc-nity­ancl just about as in1portanl.

For fhe ) Cars, CII moved slowly and cautious!)'. Despite the character of its acti\.ities (investing in military supply and high-tech start-up compa­nies) and lhf' secret nature of its board, it was regarded as a low-risk,

low-profit investment. That would !.Oon change.

On SeptembC'r }, Y.C. 1103, Seipen opened normally at 8:00 A\1. At a nine o'clock press conler('nce, Capitol Chairman Ben Ma~well announced a new tightening-up program for Venu­sian settlements. This news caused interest rates to fall slightly, and Capi­tol banking and real estate shares clin1bed a few index points. This was all quite nonnal; seemingly no sort of indication of what was to come. Pre­lunch business was characterized by a slight lull in trading.

\t noon, people on the floor of the exchange notice a feverish activity taking place in the booths of the Mis­himan Hotaki Partnership Brokerage. Something was definitely happening, and it was only a few minutes until the word had run across tl1e floor like a flash flood in a Martian canal.

Tim Warner, a junior trader at the lime for Bauhaus's SaglieUi Bros., was there at the lime. "\\hen the news hit, it was like nothing I'd ever seen since Ill) days in the Venusian Rangers. The fear was almost tangible. I think one ofHotaki's men actually had a heart attack, but everyone was too

busy to pay any attention to him. Any­how, he wasn't Ute only Vlishinlan to die on the Pounding Day. I heard nearly half of them committed ritual sukide. Those that didn't, well, they might as well have."

For reasons unclear to this day (the people who gave the orders were the ftrst to take their own lives with the ceremonial blades that hang over e'ery Mishiman broker's desk), llota­ki sold all of its shares in its Heim­burg portfolio. This totaled nearly 12% of the city's real estate value.

The price of Ileimburg real estate, of course, plummeted to an all-time low, but it wasn't done falling yet. Shortly aner Hotaki pulled out of Heimburg, Capitol insurance fund brokers-~haken by the sudden drop of their portfolios' values-followed suit, causing the price to dip once again.

"It was total panic," says Warner. "Brokers were screaming across the floor at their runners from nearly every angle. No one could understand a single word anyone else was saying to them, but iL didn't matter. They were all saying the same thing: 'Sell, sell, sell!' And so they did.

"It was a classic crash. We've had lots of them at Seipen o'er the )ears. lisually aller a moment, the panic subsides, and Ule bulls step in to buy all the sluff the bears have been sel­ling. Pt·emiurn stocks can suddenly be had at rock-bottom prices.

"It's all part of the market's cycle. It happens, you cut your losses, and you go on. If you're lucky, you even make a few dollars. But this was different."

The panic was total. Seemingly ev­eryone sold eveiJ thing they had in Bauhaus real estate. The closely link­ed Bauhaus banking and investment shares then followed the real estate prices in their downward spin. I ,ike a

Editor's Note: The following is reprinted entirely from the first issue of The Lunar Voice. It was written by my grandfather over 100 years ago, and I thought you might find it enlightening. It's amazing how pertinent it seems today. -Dik

Hq Dan Ouigleq

The Winner and the Lasers

The numbers attached to the monies gained and lost during the Founding Day uash do little more than boggle the mind. This graph shows what happened on that fateful day, putting it all into a perspective someone other than a Seipen broker can grasp.

Capitol-F==r-r----r--rl-1 Mishima......­Bauhaus;! t-"-'"-""r:'"-::........p~--t-~=::1 Imperial ........ .

riot act by Her Serenity herself. "Apparently she wasn't so serene on

that day. Anyhow, it was thing that they could have they acquired some liquid when they were truly need1BtU"tiu they could have done the same by sel­ling 5% in each of their holdings rat­her than divesting themst>lves so dra­matically in a single area. Of course, they didn't have the luxury of hind­sight at the tin1e.''

And so the panic continued unabat­ed. Once word of Smythe, Smythe, Sm)Ule & Axelthorpe's move reached the ears of their other traders, it ''as misintei'pi-eted by Bauhaus brokers.

Cause to Celebrate Grandpa's article really warms

your heart, doesn't it? I always appreciate seeing those money­grubbing megacorporate types get what they've got coming to them. If you feel like I do, you're willing to join the Cybers in their annual Founding Day celebrations. Sure, the "official" parties are about as much fun as a morticians' convention, but those unofficial get-togethers that the rest of us sponsor are quite a blast!

A hundred years later, the Cybers are just another brick in that megacorporate wall, the one the Cardinal tells us was put up to keep the Dark Legion out. It's the same one that keeps us in, trap­ped in our little lives, unable to

affect anything on the same scale as those who run the corps.

But that's awfully depressing crap.

Anyhow, although you corpora­te types might hear otherwise, the celebrations that the unincorpora­ted among us hold and attend on Founding Day are almost enough (but not quite) to put the Dunsirn Days to shame. What reason do we, the "freelance" community have to be happy about Cybertron­ic's arrival on the megacorporate scene? Because they took business as usual, as exemplified by the Big Four's throttlehold on the system's economy, and turned it on its ear. And if the Board (whoever they are) could do that, then there's

hope for the rest of us, however small it might be.

Unlike the corporate-sponsored holidays, there are no banners or floats, no parades of brainwashed teenagers marching along in their unscratched armor and their unlo­aded show rifles. None of that for us schmoes-just kegs of beer and barbecued bratwurst (or whatever else you like cooking outside over an open flame). What more could Joe Freelance want? Besides a decent job and steady paycheck, of course, from someone who doesn't want your gonads in exchange. Barring that unlikely occurrence, though, we'll take what we can get.

-Dik Quigley

,, The Founding Day

'lbe rumor that Capitol's vaunted ·~PY~··in(luabU~~woople:xhadbcen

--------------------------------~~~--

My hair was beginning to faD out. I lost most of the rest of it directly aftet the Founding Day debacle. In any case, I hadn't forgotten the lessons the special forces had taught me.

"I threw Mr. Boswick through the ctoor to his office, hoping to knock

..... ~ ....... ,~ the fact •IBd crushing his

noor whentt fifteen mbiUtt~lfUi~~ sing bell, all I could ....... _ ........ .. was lo stand back the carnage.

"\\hen the shot rang recognized il instantly my da) s in combat. To be entirely honest, I hid w1der my desk. Only when I was

,, The Founding Day

The chain reaction that the crash of the Bauhaus real estate market start­ed continued into the middle of the next day before the Third Directorate shut all trading on all human worlds down until the crisis was over.

By then, though, the damage had already been done, and private tra­ding of stocks continued outside of the realms of the various exchanges. More than one fortune was destroyed in that period. People were afraid to walk the streets of the Luna for fear of having some psychotically depres­sed fmancier fall on their head from a great height.

Each rumor that spread through the financial community was a domino in a long line, each causing yet another disaster and a corresponding rash of new rumors in its wake. Each domino was worth hundreds of millions of Crowns. On Founding Day alone, over a trillion Crowns changed hands. The trading on the following days

Dan Quigley

were comparatively light, but a stag­gering amount of damage was done.

Once the smoke fmally cleared, it became clear what had happened. The one thing that no one had bar-

A ~ittle Perspective

gained on is that whenever you sell a stock, no matter how paltry a sum you might get for it, somewhere there is a buyer. Somebody purchased eve­rything that was sold on Founding Day, and they got it all for a song.

Those of you who paid attention in your economics courses 'vill remem­ber that Third Directorate regulations absolutely forbid any one entity to purchase a large number of stocks from any one seller on a single day. This was originally designed to make hostile takeovers extremely difficult.

This rule rarely prevented a partic­ularly determined effort, though, as a corporation could simply use several dummy holding corporations to pur­chase the stocks for it. While no sing­le purchase would be enough to per­mit a takeover, their sum total would be more than enough.

The same principle was applied on Founding Day, although at a much larger sca1e. Over a hundred different

Oddly enough, the greatest heroes of the unsanctioned Founding Day

shindigs are the direct descendants of the people that contributed the most to the founding of Cybertronic: those unfortunate fools that bought into all the rumors and brought Seipen's so low. They pop up once a year, raising their noses from their menial jobs just long enough to be tossed up onto the shoulders of the crowd and run around and through the nearest park.

These folks ordinarily have damn little to celebrate themselves. Once the smoke cleared on Founding Day, hun­dreds of brokers lost their cushy jobs and were subsequently expelled from the bosoms of their respective mega­corps. Some of them-those that didn't follow through on the idea on Founding Day-knocked themselves off straight away, but most of them persevered. A rare few even managed to sign on with the former rivals who had profited most from their "mis­takes." Most, though, fell directly through the ever-widening cracks and landed squarely in the crap that flows in rivers beneath Luna's sparkling fa­cade.

,, The Founding Day

corporations-most holding companies, many not-swept up after the stock market crash. Few other corporations had enough liquid assets at U1e time to compete for the dirt-cheap stocks. As it later became clear, each and every one of U1ese companies belonged to Cybertronic Investment, Inc.

"It's nearly impossible to conceive, you see, that a single person-or even a panel of experts-could possibly manage to manipulate the stock mar­kets in the manner that the evidence suggests. There were literally thou­sands and thousands of transactions taking place. No one could keep track of them all.

"What's more, the rumors that were flying around made trading that day like swimming the Grand Canal in a fog bank. There was no way to know what was real and what was simply the product of some overwrought bro­ker's hyperactive imagination."

I caught up with one of these de­scendants of the corporate-damned. He's a bartender at Unaffiliated, a seedy dive with a name that most of its patrons couldn't properly pro­nounce, much less understand. His name's Alan Boston, a direct descend­ant of Randall Boswick, the Saglielli Bros. broker Tim Warner killed in self-defense on Founding Day. Appa­rently Boston's pappy decided that a change of name might do something to help people forget about his link to that famously failed broker.

From the looks of the tavern, Alan's dad hadn't succeeded too well. I bel­lied up to the bar and introduced myself. At first, he didn't want to talk to me at all, but a few Crowns under my empty glass loosened his tongue. I asked him about his grand­father.

Alan screwed up his wrinkled face-the years had not been kind to him nor, by the cut of his clothing, had much else-and spit into a glass mug he was polishing. Then he smil­ed, the skin on his face working against the frown lines with which time had furrowed his face. "I suppose

Still, whether it was impossible or not-and perhaps a company with Cybertronic's vaunted technological expertise might have been able to pull it off-CII emerged from that day as the fifth and last megacorporation: Cybertronic.

It was weeks later until all the transactions from that day were fmally approved. It was then that all was fmally revealed. Cyberu·onic, through subsidiaries and holding companies, had bought nearly 70% of aJl of ev­erything that was "thrown away" at honibly undervalued prices dwing the "Founding Day."

"Preposterous," says Wan1er. "Un­equivocally preposterous. No group of human beings could possibly have coordinated such a vast undertaking. It's simply beyond our ken to do more than conceive of such a plan. Imple­menting it would be a logistical night­mare worse than any war humanity has ever seen."

Perhaps they'd had some kind of inhuman help. Was it possible that the Dark Legion was behind Cybertronic after all? Warner laughed at the sug­gestion.

"Don't be silly, my boy. The Dark Legion is nothing but a myth. Some­thing to scare children with as you put them to sleep. Not a chance."

So then, having profited so much from the crash, was Cybertronic somehow behind it? Did strategically placed Cybertronic moles do what they could to help the process along, feeding theories of disaster when and where they would do the most hann?

some might be angry at my grandpa, but I ain't one of them. Seems point­less to be mad at a dead man. Pa tells me he did the best he could. T'ain't his fault the market crashed."

I suggested his ancestor took the coward's way out. He glared at me and then, as calmly as a butcher sizing up a side of beef, hefted the same mug he'd been polishing since I entered the place four beers ago. With a snarl, he reached out and grabbed my tie, then smashed the glass against the edge of the bar and shoved the razor-sharp remains toward my face. Apparently, I'd touched a nerve.

"Look here, Herr Reporter. If grandpa hadn't made some kind of a try to redeem himself-even some­thing as drastic as killing that Warner man-he'd have been dead anyhow. Bauhaus don't shine to someone who's lost so many Ducats!"

I apologized profusely as I pried his fingers one by one from around my tie. The way he figured it, Warner had done the old man a favor. "In a way, he died in battle, you see­honorably."

Once the dust settled on the worst stock market crash ever, only one thing was entirely clear: there was a new kid on the mega corporate block. Cybertronic was here to stay.

You could take the boy out of Bau­haus, I reflected, but you couldn't take Bauhaus out of the boy. A full generation out of the megacorp, and this fellow still bought into the crap Bauhaus had indoctrinated into his father as a small boy. The megacorps' reach is longer than w~ can usually see.

As if to emphasize this point, Bos­ton waved the glass around some more, saying, "Someday we'll make up for it-my family, I mean. I've got three brothers and a sister. One of the boys is in the Free Marines. He'll make something of himself. The others and me mean to get our name back, to make Bostwick mean some­thing good again. If not for us, then for our kids. We'll make it back!"

With that, he suddenly seemed to realize where we were and what he was doing. He turned and mumbled some kind of excuse and went to serve a patron at the other end of the bar, the handle of the shattered stein still clutched in his fist.

-Dik Quigley

'

bq David M. Ho

Hsk any carpenter or geomebist what the strongest kind of struc­ture is, and they'll tell you: one

with three sides. Triangles are the most stable architectural form, and they offer an incredible amount of stability, just as can be found in a three-legged stool.

That power can be seen in the cor­porate structure of Cybertronic. While the debate continues to rage as to whether or not the megacorporation is allied with the Dark Legion, it can­not be denied that it is the frrst such corporation to so thoroughly utilize the three-sided structure. By its own nomenclature, Cybertronic divides il~elf into three divisions, called pil­lars. Each of these three pillars con­tains four smaller departments, for a total of twelve. These departments are most often called by their acro­nyms, a mostly meaningless series of letters that form a bureaucratic alphabet soup.

While what each acronym stands for may not be easily apparent, the str·ucture which these departments form is sensible and easily under­stood. Lurking behind these divisions, though, are the corporation's top minds, people of great power who have the uncanny ability to make aU the right moves at all the right times. These minds hover over all. connec­tin~ the vertlces of the triangle to a single point, rnak.ing the flat diagram three dimensional. This creates a pyramid of power with the Board at the apex of it all, high above the broad base of their power, nearly untouchable and unknowable to those below. Since meetings of the Board are always closed to the public, this comparison is not too far off of the mark.

This corporate structure works for Cybertronic. and it works well. The information presented below will hopefully ~he you something to think about and perhaps even chan~e the way you look at Cyhe11ronic.

The ADM Each 'ertex of the triangle is impor­tant, as each lt•nds support to the others. Ewn so. in the Cybertronic corporate structure, the Research, Developmf'nt and :\1anufacturing Division, known as RDM. is consid­ered first among equals-at least by the people under il<J purview.

RIY\1 possesst>s the finest minds which Cybertronk ('ltn hirt•. Aecor­ding to Cybertronic's public relations department, thcst• minds haw turned their genius to the bt•ttt•rmcnt of all societ). This i!'l most appnrt•nt in the fact that Cybertronic is responsible for tht• most culting-edgt• applied technology known today.

Of the four dh is ions making up the RD\1, the most important is ARD. :\d,anced Research and De,elop­ment. At its headquarters hen('ath the Cybertronic HQ on Luna, work pro­gresses around the dock as scientists break new ground in creating the amazing imentions for which Cyber­tronic is kno'' n. So amazing are the tasks ''hich go on at ARD that the headquarters are known as Oz, a name taken from a fantastic land cre­ated by an andent talespinner.

Although it is important, ARD itself is but one of four major arcas within the RDM, none of which would be able to exist without tlw input of the others. Execution, Production and Distribution (EPO) is responsible for production. It handlt>s all of U1e industry necessary for the physical creation of the products Cy bertronic creates. In many ways. tht>refore, EPD is the most important depart­ment of the entire corporation. for without it nothing \\Ould C\er make the transition from product specifica­tions to actual consumer goods.

The work \\hich rt•sults in the astounding array of <.·y bemetic prod­ucts is done by the Cybemetks Re­search and Implerm•ntation (CRI) division, whost• employt'es all spt>dal­ize in various areas of cyberizalion. All of the cybernetic implants. and the manufacture oftht• cybemium which is used in conjunction with those

implants, are designed by CRI's scien­tists.

The specifications both for implants and consumer goods are, in conjunc­tion with input from other depart­ments, created by the Engineering, Development and Application (EOA) department, under whose aegis all of the engineering for Cy bertronic falls. EDA is also charged with creating the necessary blueprints for the machine­'1 which goes into the manufacturing of the goods Cybertronic sells, although the ultimate responsibility for creating that machinery lies with EPD. Although there is a good measu­re of rivalry between the depart­ments, each is seen as vital to thc cor­pot·ate structure, yet all agree that \vithout ARD, which provides Uw raw ideas, none of the other divisions, let alone Cybertronic itself, would be via­ble.

TheAEM If RDM is the machine that makes all the Cybertronic goods "e'rc all so familiar with, then the Administra­tion, Economics and Management division (AEM) is the grease in Ute gears. The AE~l is the business ann of Cybertronic and, of the three pil­lars, it is the largest. In many ways, it can be said to be the most important, as it deals with the rest of our society, which supports the corporation by purchasing its goods. It is rt'sponsihle for keeping tabs on all of Cybettron­ic's holdings and keeping U1e whN•ls of the megacorporation tlu·ning smoothly.

As such, those who work in U1is division must have the knowledge necessary to keep such an organiza­tion moving forward and the judg­ment needed to make impottant and difficult decisions. This is espedally apparent at those times that a C) ber­tronic employee goes rogue and makes efforts to selltechnolog) to a competing megacorporation. The severity of this corporate justice is such that instances of such traitorous behavior are (reportedly) vel') rare. By keeping things movin~ along behind the scenes, the AE~1 docs a great deal to create the majestic image which Cybertronic projects to its clients and consumers.

The four divisions which make up the AEM interact \\ith the outaidt­world more than those of any other

pillar. Legislation and Applied Justice (LAJ) is the legal arm of Cybertronic. This di' ision is responsible for seeing that the corporate laws are followed, and it metes out punishment to employees um\ise enough to break the code. It is thought that L.V is the division responsible for the tragic accidents which seem to befall those rare individuals "ho leave Cybertro­nic for other me~acorporalions, but no direct imohement has ever been proven.

Education, Training and Publicity (ETP) is the division which creates orientation programs and additional educational programs for Cybertronic employees. ETP is also responsible for creating the ideas for all of Cyber­tronic's media, since the Board of Directors sees ad,ertising as nothing mor·e U1an another form of education. In the same vein, ETP also handles all of Cybertronic's public relations efforts, including Ute quarterly and annual reports whicb are so eagerly a"aited b) imestors.

The day-to-day administration of the mega(·orporation is controlled by the Administrative Bureaucratic Con­trol (ABC) division. ABC is responsi­ble for making sure that products are sent out to consumers in a timely manner, that orders and requisitions are processed correctly and that internal affairs run smoothly. This clivision is U1e largest of the AEM divi­sions, due to the enormous volume of administrative work that needs to be done.

Second in size to ABC is the finan­cial arn1 of Cybertronic, known as Finance and Economic Forecasting (FE~). None of the employees of Cy bertronic would draw their sala­ries, none of the materials which the RDM pillar requisitions would be paid for, none or the media time woUld be purchased were it not for this divi­sion. The FEF is also responsible tor minting the Piastres \\ith which all Cy bertronic financial transactions are conducted.

The SWI Security, Warfare and Intelligence (SWl), the last pillar of Cybertronic, both supports and taxes the resources of the other pillars. The support is due to the fact that neither of the other pillars would have the need to exist wt.>re it not for the S\\-1. Similar-

,, The Three Pillars

ly, however, the SWI would not be as Cybercurity), do little to hide their needed were it not for the existence ""''ivit11 .... For this reason, many assn-of the r.<'!~:Rl~~~ are the only two depart-

The make up Cybertronic's the . The trutl1, unfortunate-

public as offer and and legal spawned the S'i\1.

The S WI ~~~~;~r;p "''n

businesses come tion areas of the megacorporation's structure, and the cold beauty of the products sold and the tasks accom­plished by tllis division cannot be denied. The SWI is, by far, U1e most visible of the megacorporation's divi­sions. Conversely. the SWI is also the most imisible dhision, for it is responsible for all of Cybertronic's inteWsence and security programs.

The importance of the SWl in the scheme ofCybertronic operations cannot be understated. Careful re­search has shown that tlle depart­ments which make up this division are behind many of tlle most success­ful of today's myriad covert opera­tions. Citizens of ('VCtJ' planet must be more aware of the influence that Cybertronic has within tlleir conunu­nities, even within tlleir individual households and places of business. The technology of the SWI is that of any ann of any !>oration, and its stop at nothing to With all of the Cybertronic, tirely safe division.

Not sion, The little on the

by tlle two noticeable ts. These departments, known internally as Military Conflict and Resolution (MCR) and Internal and External Security (IES--kno\vn more publicly

deal more insidious, as d(•partments, Analyti­and Hypotheses (APH)

""''"'nl'•~> Gathering and Colla­are the departments in many ways, the two

divisions of all. visible divisions, the bet­

is the MCR, Cybert.ronlc's mili~ltlll:)rm. Few are the citizens

not heard reports of the rrn1rnu•n defending Cyber­

from outside forces or os of tllese brave corporate

soldiers locked in combat with those who would do hann to innocent civil­ians. The sight of powerful Attila units or the rare Eradicators is stir­ring and not easily forgotten, espe­cially by those on the wrong side of Cybertronic's business plans. The MCR's ability to get troops where they're needed as quickly as is testament not only to this skill but also to the loyalty bilities of tlle individual

The department which weapons associated efforts is known as Cybertronic, this Cybercurity, a subsidiary of The truth, Cybercuri-ty is part of tlle backbone of Cyber­tronic, perhaps the most important department of the SWI. Cybercurity creates all of U1e weapons which are

ciency.

\\ith Cybertronic, from the of power swords,

Slaughtermaster, Titan Megablaster. these weapons

. ... .,,.

All intelligence and mmtary analy­sis falls under the jurisdiction of the APH. Here are found the fmest mili­tary, legal and business minds which Cybertronic can fmd or hire a''ay from other megacorporalions. These people are charged with creating tlle plans which run the company, as well as the tactics necessary for protecting Cybertronic assets. Because lhe com­pany wants its employees to feel that they are part of a large extended family, the ability of the company to protect its workers is of the utmost importance, as is the job of finding potential weak links in the corporate structure.

The APH has no troops of its own, no ability to act upon its fmdings \vith­out relying on the weapons and war­riors of the MCR and IES. This struc-

as mandated by the Board of l.)ll•;toi·s ensures that Ule APH does MJIM*.ome powerful enough to upset

balance. If, for any rea­L had to be disbanded,

~~·belrltllilllief& fortunes would almost _.. •. --~ a tailspin.

of Cybertronic's as tlle IGC. Its

than acqui­for

and the

as without the intelli gatllered by this agem·y, Cybertronic would not be as powerful as it cm·­rently is.

The metllods used by the IGC to extract this information are cloaked in secrecy. A recent undercover op­eration conducted by this magazine, however, has turned up some intrigu­ing data as to the methods and pro­ducts used by this department in the furtherance of tlleir endeavors. It is important to bear in mind that even these fmdings may be only the tip of the iceberg. Conversely, the informa­tion received might be altogether false, as it is in the nature of tllis department to mislead even those who work for it, except for individuals at the highest levels.

As is tlle case "itll the APH, the IGC does not have the necessary staff or

~ .

~-

,, The Three Pillars

equipment to act directly upon its find­ings or, in most cases, to properly analyze the data beyond determining if it is of importance. There are many times that all information is turned over to the APH in t·ase something of seeming insignificance turns out to be more important than thought.

The IGC's methods of attaining information are myriad, and some of these methods border on the illegal. Yet because the APH contains so many top-notch lawyers, most every instance in which Cybertronic's infor­mation gathering practices are ques­tioned lead the accusers to naught. Rumors of impropriety are quashed immediately or redir..-cted to the mouths of known dissenters and lunatics. By doing this, whatever truth might be found in their rantings are dismissed by the majority of the populace.

The aforementioned undercover operation has turned up evidence of a .. truth drug" which is more effective than any similar drug pre,iously known. Those who are familiar with tales of the "truth serum" sodiwn pentatbol will not be surprised to leam of this drug. For years, it has been rumored that every Cybertronic

employee is inoculated with a drug known as "Brain Grease." True to its name, this drug supposedly elimi­nates stray thoughts and allows employees to concentrate more fully upon their tasks.

Cybertronic has done little to damp­en reports of this drug in both of its forms, Mark I and Mark II. What has been discovered, however, is another variant, known within the megacor­poration as Mark III and to those in Gemini as "Brain Sieve." Those who are given this drug are said to receive "lube jobs." The drug encourages their innermost thoughts to simply slide away from the inhibitors, mental and pharmaceutical, which those individuals suspected of carrying valuable information build around their most private thought~.

Judicious applications of Mark. Ill Brain Sieve not only allow an indivi­dual to give up information but also, in certain circumstances, allow intel­ligence gatherers to substitute false or corrupted memories in place of those retrieved. This is done moat often in the case of those wbo are sent to spy upon Cybertronlc. 1bey return to their handlers with Informa­tion either lacking in deep lubatance

---

or with misleading reports. Corpora­tions who discover that their moles have been compromised cannot publicly accuse Cybertronic of any wrongdoing. for that would be admis­sion of infiltration.

In some individuals, however, the substitution of memories has proven to be quite dangerous and there are reports of some who have died from receiving overdoses of this powerful drug. Again, it is impossible for anoth­er company to confront Cybertronic without tipping their hand, and since these individuals are supposedly loyal members of the Cybertronic family, Cybertronic is free to put whatever spin they want to on the details of their death.

Another method favored by the IGC is the use of so-called "freelancers" to gather information. These freelancers pass themselves off as former employees of the flnn, giving rise to the idea that it is, in fact, possible to successfully leave Cybertronic. Our sources report. however, that these people never leave the Cybertronic umbreUa but that they report back to the IGC from the vantage point of their new positions in new companies, whether those companies are part of other megacorporations or not. It is important to remember that many supposedly independent firms belong to Cybertronic through convoluted paths of ownership and phantom hold­ing operations. These companies are perfect covers for freelancers and allow them to gather information in relative safety.

From time to time, one or another free lancer will go too far, believing that they are actually free of the Cybertronic network. Too soon they learn that they themselves have been betrayed, much in the same manner they planned to betray their employ­er. Investigation of accident reports has led us to conclude that the major­ity of accidents which befall such individuals are, in fact, executions staged by order of the Libra depart­ment. The message is usually loud enough to dampen the enthusiasm of others who might feel the pull of another corporation's influence.

One may wonder how Cybertronic is able to keep tabs on all their sourc­es. After all, there are so many chan-

nels of lnfonnation which the IGC taps into: paid infomtants, freelan­cers, captured spies, moles in other corporations. There are also reports of Cybertronic becoming aware of plans and activities in areas where no Cybertronic employee has ever ven­tured.

This is where the Mouser, or Cati­nator, comes in. Many of the stray cats which populate Luna are not quite what they appear to be. The research department amt of Cyber­tronic has been able to create an incredibly realistic robotic feline which Is able to insinuate itself in many places that humans can not go. Furthennore, such robots are able to easily keep tabs on those in the cor­poration's employ. Sometimes they are given to suspected or known spies as pets. The unknowing spy is, in tum, spied upon by his friendly famil­iar. It is possible that even smaller anima Ia bave been created b)· the ........ .ad cyberization wizards of tbi toM, but :reports of robotic rats

WIIDDOI be proven one way or another. .. !Mf!!r. such cyber-rats exist, one -~·~l'hlil1 of their origin, as no

~··~·ifillllaac::orJ>orati«>n has the skills

Alphabet Soup

It's been said that it's impos­sible to keep track of Cyber­

tronic's departments without a scorecard. True enough, so here you are, courtesy of the Lunar Voice. Those of you who can't read real well might be able to recognize the divisional symbols at least-they're plastered all over everything Cybertronic, right on down to their toilet paper-so we've included those here as well.

necessary to produce such a product.

What does this mean to the ordinary, law-abiding cltizt-n of Luna or any of the other cities where Cybertro­nic does business? The level of Infiltration that the corpo­ration may have, even In the highest levels of the other megacorps, is staggering. If what baa been reported is true, there is nobody who can (')aim with impunity to be free of Cybertronic's sur­veillance. Those who feel themselves to be too unim­portant, too low-level, too ignorant may be fooling themselves. Cybertronic must ne·n•r be underestima­ted. Their influence is high­rea<'hing and pervasive.

Short of attempting to slay every stray cat in the city, there is no way to stem the efficiency of SWI's operat­ions. Even were this possible, there are far too many other avenues that Cybertronic uses to gain infomtation to successfully plug all of the holes. Everybody has their price; everyone

has their weakness. Cybertronic's SWI department is skilled at paying that price, fmding that weakness, bringing people ov<"r to the Cyber­tronic way of thinking. As proof of this, all one needs to do is look back on the formation of the corporation, an over­night operation which took the other megacorporations totally by surprise

Pillar or Division Acronym Symbol

Research, Development and Manufacturing ROM A. Advanced Research and Development ARD ¥ Execution, Production and Distribution EPD ~ Cybernetics Research and Implementation CRI 6 Engineering, Development and Application EDA ..n.. -

Administration, Economics and Management AEM [!] Legislation and Applied Justice LAJ en Education, Training and Publicity ETP ~

Administrative Bureaucratic Control ABC ~ Finance and Economic Forecasting FEF ~

Security, Warfare and Intelligence SWI (;'\

Military Conflict and Resolution MCR -1 Internal and External Security IES l Analytical Processing and Hypotheses APH 1IJ' Intelligence Gathering and Collating IGC *

~ .. ,, The Three Pillars

and which incurred the suspicion of the Brotherhood from the very begin­ning.

It should be pain full) oh\ious to all that, so long as C) bt•rtronic continues to be relath t>l) benign, all is well. If

however, the Brotherhood is right, if Cybertronic is controlled by, or in alli­ance with, the Dark Legion, it may only be a matter of time before all of the wondrous inventions and powerful weapons are turned against the rest of

us. We must be wary of such a thing. Until such time as this alliance can be proven, however, Cybertronic person­nel will continue to provide the rest of us with the fmest quality products which money can buy.

What's In a Name?

Actually, not a whole lot when it comes to

Cybertronic. Cybers tend to use their divisional and even sub-divisional initials like they actually mean something. Put bluntly, this is laughable, so let's translate some of this megacorporate gobbledy­gook for you.

RDM are, these

ith the oods in

hey ers.

ARD These guys are the ARDest working Reople in the hu orl . me-

r osts ey price tout of

Joe luna's ra e. Then ARD stands for A Retailing Disaster.

ous ey m e

Excruciatin Pr ey De­vices that ca er to Every Poser's Desire.

CRI If there were things that man w s not meant to kno CRiers know chas-seurs t turns out are known on the street as CRI babies, but

don't call them that to their faces-given that they still have one.

Ever""""--..-plish ~I""R'RI~uilt,

thes ild it.

AEM Known internally as Attor-neys, E nd Manag hood o pillar a nsters. Someh·)l·~~ synonymous.

lAJ To those on the wrong end of this division, the acronym's for lawyers Are Jerks. I y're on your sid o , it means latvs Ar Jokes. The ~rn,ys can twist j t ou~ny law they ge eir c~puteri-zed hands on into what they want it to mean. How do you think they get the corp out of so many scrapes?

ETP According to the Brotherhood, this is Evil's Total Propaganda, but the rest of us know them from their ads. Those ha~ spen a ~ t1 with the lower echelons of Cybertronic's work pool know the letters really stand for Educating Tiny

Pinheads-both inside the company and out.

ABC Sounds simple, right? The first three let­ters of the alphabet-ev­eryone from toddlers on up know them by heart. Ironic that they represent the most omp x bureau­cracy kn n to ate. De­spite this, sharp. E somethi from the._ ......... e is like asking to borrow a Neph­arite's horn to pick your teeth with. It just ain't gonna happen-and if it does, you're probably not gonna get what you were hoping for.

FEF Everyone knows that Cybertronic owns tril­lions of Crowns worth of

.... ~•gh tions and ie After

r.~~lRIIIIgO

their start. For at rea­son, the FEFers are known as Forgers of Economic Fictions.

SWI

are noto,llll-.1111 having a of humor at all. If you've encounte­red these people on a bat­tlefield, you know they're Mostly Chromed Robots-

and dead~. IES This is rcurity. Enough sai

APH These are the,_.. pie that figure out what all the other megacorps are actua y These usually jl' PJIIIWI spiracy t:,..~4 .. ce scale, so,,.!., ... lh the Card a n.rw.'" Cybertronic feet History. cording to the Brotherhood, what APH comes up with are All Products of Heresy.

IGC Intelligence Gathe­ring and Collating. Sounds really innocuous, doesn't it? Most people have

hea of it. ay Cyber-

tronic w er all, would y u a t public e o most successful intelligence operation since l~s ISC? Try Intercorporate Gobbledygook Central instead.

-Dik Quigley

I've been asked to guide the readers of The Lunar Voice through what many consider to be one of the main

reaaona for Cybertronic's unbeliev­able rorporate success: Its subjective reality, or subreality, system. Now many of Cybertronic operations and adYulcea are enigmas wrapped in puD)ea Inside mysteries, and such secrecy extends to their subreality system. In fact, I'm not sure why I leamed what I did.

It all started a few weeks back when lleamed that an up-and­coming television manufactlll'in8 company, Grommet Electronics, had just been bought out by Cybertronic. I thought I'd have a chance to get a ground-floor view of how the Cybers change an outfit when they move in. I snooped around, made some friends on the stalf. I didn't tum up anytbins unusual-new posters on the walls extol ling the virtues of Cybertronic and so on.

One guy I had been pulling a lot of iufonnation out of over rounds of Colonel Drougan's Premium Malt let slip an Interesting bit of infonnation about a new hi-tech system that the new bosses had just installed that would let people go inside a computer and talk to each other.

This piqued my interest. The only thing I know about computers (espe­cially the one that sends me my utility bills each month) is that they aren't much more than glorified adding

By David Crowe

The Author

machines. Doing stuff like traveling Inside a computer only happens in cheap science-fiction books. Is this why Cybertronic has such a big edge? I learned that the C) hers call this setup "Subjective Reatil)." At the time, I didn't know why.

Then a few days later, my source, Lars. clammed up. Completely. He wouldn't talk to me about anything but the Cybertronic company line. He didn't seem to be afraid or under any kind of pressure ... just happy. At least as happy as when he was three sheets to the wind. '\ot wanting to give up on the story (since my last rent check bounced), I hung around

the Grommet plant around quitting time and tried to get something, any­thing about subreaHty from the wage slaves departing for the day. I kept up the pressure: making phone calls, writing letters to the unions, even peeking through windows. The newly-converted Cybertronic employ­ees barely noticed I was there.

But someone obviously did. That evening, as I was trying to

ignore a "Capitol Critters" nature documentary on the T\' while writing up what few facts I had, a knock came at the door. Or rather, through the door. One of the 2-meter-tall ste­roid goons that Cybertronic seems to employ in droves smashed his way into my apartment. Oblivious to my threats, yells and the fact I smashed a telephone receiver over his wrist, he pulled a bag over my head and haul­ed me down the stairs like a sack of potatoes.

From there I was tossed into the back of a car. And not a new car, jud­ging from the smells that penetrated the sack. After about a half hour of driving somewhere that involved a lot of turns, I was again unceremonious­ly pulled down a flight of stairs. Only this time I was dragged by my ankles. I counted 25 steps bouncing off my skull. Then I lost count.

The next thing I knew, the sack was pulled off my head and I found myself in a dimly lit basement. The main piece of furniture seemed to be a

cast-iron psychiatrist's COU<'h ,,;th a huge helmet at the head. The other occupant of the room, a too-a"Verage looking man with a lt>atht>r jacket and a Cvbertronic P1000 said to my bulky cap.tor "Strap him down, Shack. I'll send him on the grand tour." Even though this couch setup st>emed like a variant of the electric chair up at Ryker's \1ountain, I didn't think this was the end of U1e line for me. After all, a bullet in the back of the head and a dive into a mine shaft is a lot less complicated. Unless someone at Cybertronic has a torture fetish.

Even so, as I was strapped down into the unyielding cou<'h and had a

40-pound helmet with no eye holes placed on my head, I thought I might be wrong. \'\ben I heard someone flip a knife S\~tch, and then electricity went through the helmet and straight into my skull, I was pretty sure I was wrong.

I once stuck my finger in a light socket as a kid. It felt like every pore in my skin was trying to jump away from every other pore. This was like that, but a hundred times worse. I blacked out.

Then things got weird. I was stand­ing on a plain with some sort of glow­ing grid on it. Behind me was a huge circle of black stone standinl upright,

like a gateway or portal. Other see­mingly huge portals dotted what pas­sed for landscape. Most were marked \'\ith the insignia for a mega corp and a planet or asteroid.

I tried to move back through the portal I had apparently come through and was about as successful as trying to walk through a brick wall. It was, however, more painful than hitting a brick wall.

Lacking any otl1er options, I started walking toward one of the other por­tals. I got nowhere fast. I walked for hours. The entrance portal receded into the distance quickly, but none of the others got any closer. I thought that whoever tossed me in here (wher­ever "here" was) could have at least sent a map or something along. Just then, the "or something" appeared in the form of a Cybertronic spokesper­son. You know, tile kind that deny everything at press conferences. He ''as completely average looking, almost too much so. He was wearing the usual Cybertronic suit and the usual detached demeanor. His name tag read John.

He asked me what I wanted. I said '"to get out of here." "That's not an option yet," he replied coldly.

"\\ell, can I get somewhere?" "\\l1ere?" "1 don't know, anywhere. There," I

said pointing to the Luna gate. "And how about getting there a little fast­er?"

With that, an Autocab appeared next to me.

"Did you ever think what it would be like to take a trip in a computer?" he asked.

"Not really. Is that why I'm here?" "You'll lind out," he said. Just won­

derful, I thought. He's just as evash·e as any other Cyber drone.

"\\ben can I leave?" "When we've made our point." With

that he clammed up again. The nearest gate seemed to be mar­

ked "Luna," so I told tile cab to stop there. I got out and stepped towards tile portal. Through it I could see an aerial -view of the city. I glanced over my shoulder and saw tllat tile cab and John had faded into thin air.

Holding my breath, I stepped through the portal-and into thin air. The image in the portal was exactly where I appeared. As I started to plunge toward the ground, l devoutly wished to be in a plane.

,, Smoke and Mirrors?

As if on cue, I found myself in the back seat of an Icarus jet fighter. I seemed to have some control over what "as going on. Perhaps this wu a dream after all. Or maybe a dnll­induced hallucination. Or some nn­dom thought impulses flashing in a dying brain. Well, that was a depres­sing line of thought. I tried to live for the monu•nt.

Leaning forward, I saw that the pilot was one of the Brotherhood's Archangel fighter jocks. His face was totally hidden by his helmet and oxy­gen mask. "\\here are we go~,?" I asked. "1\'he.re' er the Cardinal wills it.~ he repli<'d. Terrific. Ask a stupid question ....

"I'd like to be on the ground," I said. Pref£'rably before you start preaching at me, I didn't bother to add.

"'Very well, if that is your wish." With that, the pilot pulled the ejector

seat lever and I found m)selfin mid-air again, though this time 1 had the bene­ftl of a parachute. Despite my ullel' lick of knowledge about paraclllJiin& I IDI!Ulged to steer my descent to the street with a minimwn of fuss.

The streets were strangely empty. As in "completely empty." No one around at all. I figured I should pay a visit to the Cybertronic Tower. I might turn up some answers about what I was stuck in. Or at least some dirt on the Cybers in general.

I turned around and saw that an Autocab had appeared when I wasn't looking. Hmmm. If I could summon an Autocab just by thinking of one, then why not something a little more stylish? Sure enough, the cab mor-

phed into a Ranger Phantom stretch limo. I found John sitting in the driver's seat.

I wondered if I could do anything about his looks. Turns out that I could. I found myself being chauffeur­ed by Capitol's top mo"ie star, Lebia Maverick, in a rather minimalistic chauffeur's outfit.

If this was a dream, it was turning out to be considerably more entertain­ing than my usual ones about losing my laundry at the laundromat.

"\\'here to?" asked the very blond Lebia.

"Cybertronic Tower," I replied. "Are you sure?" "Of course. Why'' ouldn't I be?"

Except for the fact that I might have been being electrocuted by Cybertron­ic goons that very minute, of course.

, Smoke and Mirrors?

Just as there "'as no pedestrian traffic, th(.>re was a total lack of cars on the streets, so I made good time in getting to the JIQ. "Why isn't there any traffie?"

The delightful L(.>bia replied, "Spe­cial arrangements have been made for you."

l1ot out at the curb of the huge Cybertronk building. The limo and driver both ~anished as soon as I got out, and I was met by another typical Cybertronic e'tec ~~ho was also named John.

"\'Vould you mind explaining what in the name oftlw Cardinal is going on here?" I demanded. John flinclwd a se('ond at the mention of the Cardi­nal, but slickly covered it by sa)ing, ~rm here to giH" you the grand totu·. I'm sure you'll find nothing sinister or evil h(.>re at Cybertronic.''

From there, John took me on a thor­ough, and thorough I) dull, tour of the HQ. Room afit•r room of Cybertroni<' employe<>s recruited from all the megacorps working togetht>r in per­fect harmony. Dozens of assembly areas where \~Orkt>rs t>fficiently assembled C) ht•rtronic's sophistica­ted products. Concerned managers charting the best course for their sub­ordinates to follow. In short, a blatant attempt to show Cy bertronic as absol­utely harmless. A typical propaganda whitewash.

This went on for hours, but it see­med like days. I'd rather have a half­dozen root canals then go through that again. E~ery so ofien, I'd try to go through

a door nith an interesting sign like "Research and Development," or ":"iecrofonn cadavt>r test site." Not only \'H"re all such doors locked, but even looking too hard at one got John tt>llin~ me: how there was "absolutely nothing interesting in there." Trying to for·ce the door made John take on the proportion of one of Cyberlronic's tradt>mark 200-kilo goons, just like the one who "invited" me here. I only tried that once.

Then John took me to a room the size of se' eral rollerball rinks laid end-to-end ''here some Cybertronil' forces were training for Cartel opera­tions against the Oark Legion or someth.ing. The images of the opposi­tion were .,lurred, but strange

enough not to be mistakt>n for any­thing built by human hands.

By this time, John was encased in the heavy and heavily chrom<>d armor that only Cybertronic seems to know ho\~ to make. A suit appearE-d around me as well, but John assured me that it nas just for show and that I couldn't really be hurt here. Of course not, I thought. \\by bother nhen th<>) could ha' e pumped me full of lt"ad back in tl1at basement? Where,er it was.

These t>xercises set•med to be live­fire practices against drones and for­tifications which were also using Ji"Ve ammo. Still, they were eye op<"nin~. The Cybertronic Cuirassier's and Chasseurs are at least the equal of the Capitol Free Marin<"s or the Imperial Blood Berets.

What made the biggest impression on me (and on the targets on the practice field) was Cybertronic's pen­chant for some very low-tech ideas on dose in fighting. Putting larg<" blades on the front of their hover· vehicles, for example. You don't often .see 3-meter tall mutants get turned into salami in seconds. Seems to work well, though. Hope I don't find myself in the same sand,,ich afier all this is U1rough.

During tl1e course of the battle, several of the Cyber troopers were hit by heav) weaponry. This only seemed to annoy them. Once I caught a glimpse of a gleaming metal where part of a trooper's skull had bt•t•n shot off. Just like in real lif'e, Cybertronic pr·owd to be dose-lipped about "hat was going on with that.

~laybe I'm too jaded, but even seeing gleaming. high-tt>ch metal knights valiantly battle vile creatmes of darkness can get slow after the first couple of hours. I looked around for an exit, and as if on cue, one appea­red. I stepped through it and found myself back on tht• weird, portal-dot­ted plain.

The neA-t neare~t portal seemed to be marked with both Luna and the cross of the Brotherhood. A quick trip on a slick Cybertronic fighter plane and I found m)self standing in front of it. I figur<'d that I might as well see what was up with the old Sheriff of Luna and wall..ed through.

Unlike last time, I found myself at ground level on the other side of the portal, standing in front of the First Cathedral. I also found myself stand­ing next to Cardinal Dominic himself. The most grim and unpleasant man in the Solar System demanded of me: "\\'bat business do you have here? Ilav<> you com<> to r<'pent?"

Since my current situation resem­bled a bad dr<>am or a bad trip, I de­cided to skip the humility route. "Just here to check out the scenery."

He haughtil) replied "Only fools and madmen trifle \\ilh forces they do not understand!"

"I'll take tllat chanct>." Why not? What was the worst thing he could do? Kill me?

\'Vith that, I strode through the huge, ornately cat·ved doors. Unlike the few other limes I had been here, the place was completely deserted and silent as a tomb. As I walked

Let's Get Subreal I

Percentage of Luna Citizens who:

Yes No Undecided

Have Heard of Subreality: 89% 5% 6% Know What Subreality Is: 43% 29% 28% Have Been Subreal:

Cybers: 93% 7% Everyone else: 3% 96% 1%

This poll has a margin of error of ±3%.

,, Smoke and Mirrors?

through the empty hall, the only sounds were of m) footsteps echoing and of Dominic muttering to himself about the fate of the damned.

I moved to" ards the doors behind the altar, figuring that an~1hing inter­esting would be b<•hind them. As I got closer, I noticed something moving in the shadows. The closer I got to the doors, the more of U1em l counted. They were all dressed in black. The only thing I could make out was the ~m:ords they were w1sheathing. That was all I needed to see.

Only the Brotherhood's nasty and unknown Mortificator assassins carri­ed slightly blades like U1ose. Dream or not, I had no desire to be subject to the legendary rutlllessness of the Mortificators. Death is one thing, but these guys were supposed to be able

to cut a man in ways that took him three days to die. I once saw a corpse that was supposedly the work of the Mortificators. That thought was enough to convince me.

I started to back ofT as quickly as I could while maintaining some digni­ty. Then 1 forgot about dignity and cleared out as fast as my feet would carry me, closely pursued by the Car­dinal's calls for me to repent. As I col­lapsed on the stairs outside, I found myself relating to Cybertronic's less­than-warm relations wiili the Brot­herhood.

I then noticed Ulat going ilirough the front door of tile Cathedral had put me back in the grid plane. I spot­ted several gates clustered togetller, all marked witll Mars and a different insignia. The largest Capitol one was

presumably for Capitol's capital, San Dorado. I had always wanted to visit San Dorado, and it had to be safer than facing down ~tortificators, e'en though some polls have shown tile average Capitol citizen is at least as hea,ily anned as a Mortificator.

I also found that my assortment of guides had started to taper off. One only appeared when I needed to know sometlling. Now that I was starting to get tlle hang traveling around where­ver I was, I didn't seem to need a con­stant companion. Not tllat I minded the ones that were easy on ilie eyes, like Ms. Maverick.

On the other side of tile gate, I was engulfed by the hustle of San Dorado. Quite a change from nearly every­where else being deserted. Were tlley reducing the voltage on that helmet?

, Smoke and Mirrors?

All such thoughts were driven from me when I noticed Lebia Maverick standing at the curb next to matte­black. Phantom. This time, she was in the rather tight police unifonn from her last film, Anti-Mutant PolK-e. Per­haps I should have concentratt>d on JPbat was going on a littlt> more, but \er, I'm only human.

I took the grand tour of the city: The Statue of Freedom, the Presiden­tial Palace, the Arch of Victory. I had Lebia stet>r dear of the local Cathe­dral though.

I also got a good look at one of the other things San Dorado was famous for: violent crime. According to the car radio, a number of labor tt•r-rorists had grabbed a high rankin,; Capitol exec just as he got out of his private chopper. I was determined to gt•t a better look. After all. if this was really happening and I was witnessing it someho·w, it would make a great stolj·. Callous? i\la)be, but a guy's gotta eat. If I survive whatewr I'm going through.

My limo suddenly became a Black­hawk attack helicopter piloted by a grim-faced Alpha Force soldier. It was just like the chopper closing on the building that the hostage situation was taking place in. The other Alpha Force chopper was forced back by Gatling gun fire, but not before it dropped a dozen troops with rocket packs.

All twelve of them managed to dr·op in a near perfect circle around the grotmded chopper the terrorists and their hostage were in. The Alpha team sniper managed to pick olT the leader of the group. Then the Alpha CO gave some sort of speech e:xtolling truth, justice and the Capitolian way. I thought that stuff never worked out­side the movies, but the five suntnng terrorists came out with their hands up. The hostage gratefully thanked his rescuers.

This was like the plot to a bad action mo,ie. Perhaps I was dream­ing after all, although I'd like to think my subconscious had more class than this.

I figured that since I was airborne, I might as well check out the rest of Mars. I didn't think that a lwlicopter had the fuel to travel as far as South-

ern \1ars, but it seemed to do just fme. Go figure. Since the Blackhawk is a very stealthy helicopter, no one seemed to take notice as I fle'" over a three way fight between ~fishima, Bauhaus and Imperial.

The ground was littered with shat­tered tanks, aircraft and bodies. This sort of thing has been going on for decades, if not centuries. What a waste. It didn't even look like there was anything worth fighting for on the parched soil anymore. It's in limes like this that I'm glad l'm not a war correspondent.

Mars was supposed to be named after a forgotten god of war. The name still has some significance, as I flew over yet another private war, U1e fields where Capitol was in a major dust-up with Imperial near La,nence. Several platoons of Cap's Desert Fox tanks were lr)ing to flank the slower Imp Bullies. As a result of their grea­ter maneuverability, the Foxes were gaining the upper hand w1til they were strafed by a flight of Nighthawk

fighter/bombers. E'en they somehow missed spotting the chopper I was observing from. That sort of thing just doesn't happen in real life.

Since I was nearby and might have nothing left to lose, I U1ought I'd get a look at the supposed Dark Legion Citadel towering into the air nearby. \1) pilot spoke up for the frrst time, sa)ing, ''Are you sure you want to do that?"

Since this whole situation might have been some kind of charade by Cybertronic, I figured I might as well spit in their eye by not going along with whatever agenda they wanted for me.

You hear a lot about the Dark Legi­on when working in the press. Some of it is Brotherhood propaganda or U1e ravings of lLmalics and paranoids. The rest isn'tthat reliable. Still, I could tell nothing hwnan had built the h"istt>d structure rising from the ground. Surrounding it for miles in evelj direction were minefields, guard towers, acres of barbed 'rue

A Typical Home Subreal Rig

SimBoy helmet (provides 3-0 visual and stereo audio output) 3,000 Crowns

SimBoy deluxe helmet (included head-tracking sensors) 5,000 Crowns

SimBoy gloves (allows interaction with subreal environment) 1,500 Crowns

Cybertronic Megamachine computer (only top of the line will do)

22,000 Crowns

As you can see, a full subreal system can set you back over 30,000 Crowns. Of course, once you get your rig set up, you still need interface software, and this can set you back another 1,D00-30,000 Crowns, depending on how good it is and what it allows you to do. This is out of the range of most working stiffs, and so (outside of Cybertronic) it remains only in the domain of high-ranking cor­porate-types and gung-ho college stu­dents, both of whom can get someone else to pay for all their toys.

and a multitude of other stntic de­fenses. My chopper bn·ezt>d through the forest of anti-aircraft guns as if they weren't there. As usual.

Maybe I had overreacted when I ran into the \fortificators back in the Cath­edral. Whatever I was going through, it didn't seem to have any real conse­quem·es. \\by should I be afraid of anything right now? Computer projec­tion or dream, what was happening to me now couldn't possibly have any bearing on reality.

So I had the pilot put down right at a five-hundred-foot-tall gate. Looking up towards the spire, the hair on the back of my neck stood up. 'lothing human could have built this place. It hurt my eyes even to look at it. And any spot 1 concentrated on seemed to writl1e and mist.

The gate had been left op(."n a crack, so I squeezed on through. The door was so cold it started to burn my skin where Ute metal came into contact

with it. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

No sooner had that thought crossed my mind. the ajar door closed up with a creak that was worse than nails on a blackboard. Inside, it was black, blacker than an abandoned Lunar mine shaft and cold(."r than the void. Having no place to go but ahead, I set out.

Then I notice my guide was gone. I thought real hard about having a Doomtrooper next to me. ~o dice.

I was really starting to sweaL What if U1is wasn't a hoax or a dream? Maybe I really shouldn't have been messing around with things I didn't understand.

Then something grabbed me and lifted me off the ground. Way off. I felt its hot breath on my face and nearly gagged.

Whatever the thing was, it threw me over its shoulders like a pro wTestler. Spikes on its shoulders and head cut

A Typical Cybertronic Rig

Subre•llmpl•nts (subdermal implants wiring your brain for sub­reality) not for sale

UnkCouch (the other half of the link equation, hard-wired to Cyber­tronic's computer network)

not for sale

The other way to get subreal is to pony up your brain and sign on with Cybertronic. Of course, you can't just apply for a job at the nea­rest retail outlet. If you're what they want, they'll come looking for you.

The big benefit of the Cyber rig over the homebrew is that you get the full subreal experience. This is more like being there instead of hearing about it second-hand through your mostly deaf grand­mother. Still, unless you're absolu­tely sure Cybertronic's on the up and up about everything real and subreal, the price might be more than just a little too high.

into my stomach. I thought it hurt. Then it started to pull, trying to tear me in half.

Then a wall blew up. Dim light pour­ed through the hole along with a number of Cybertronic troops in shin­ing chrome armor. The one in the lead shouted "Here, kneecap!"

With that, one of the big onu open­ed up with a machine gun. ~am of bullets cut into the Dark~ legs, and it fell over. I went along for U1e ride but avoided being impaled on one of its horns by an inch or two.

Not badly hurt, the creature pulled itself up and unlimbered a huge, twisted gun. It Ulen let loose a hail of lead at the \firronnen.

One of tllem had snuck around to the rear of tlle creature and threw me over his shoulder in a fLreman's carry. I was getting ratll(."r tired of being treated like baggage, but under the drcumstances, I decided not to com­plain.

The leader stated, "Objective se­cure. Fall back." As the Mirrormen started to witl1draw while still hosing down the creature with gunfire, dark­ness engulfed mt>.

I woke up on the cast-iron couch I had been strapped to so long ago. I was back where I started. The room was empty and the helmet was gone. I rolled off the couch and fLre shot through my gut. I pulled up my shirt and found a six-inch gash straight across my abdomen.

T looked at my watch, which despite not being from Bauhaus, managed to keep on ticking despite the licking I had taken on the way there. I had been "gone" for lt'ss than an hour, even though it seemed like over a day.

I managed to get back to my apart­ment, where I spent the last few hours writing this up. The facts about what Cybertronic can do are out. Finding some truth in them is up to you.

I don't understand exactly what happt'ned. But maybe that was the point Cybertronlc was trying to make: that I should stop messing around with things I don't understand.

Excellencq Through Perfection By William Spencer-Hale and Michael J. Hill

the dawn of lime, bUJDallitJ, our eternal quell for...__

and our unq1HIIICIMdlle8dHI baa been forced to bee~

the elements of nature, physi­cal damage and pain and fatigue. For all of our advancement~,~.~ UWe more than meat. For millert11111 we accepted our fate, telling ourse* that these trials and tribulations only made us stronger, that advenity waa the key to wisdom. Yet, these strug­gles and hardships brought us to where we now stand, at a time where we can ascend from the trappinp of mere flesh and become something more.

Throughout the ag~ we creatively made our lives easier. We f~ weapons to slay our foes more swiftly and cleanly. We crafted WllJS to trans­port ourselves more quickly to our destinations, whether that destination wasanother city, continent or even pla­net. We harnessed the power of elec­tricity to supply us with energy and radio waves to communicate with. We tried to make nature better than it was, forcing it to submit to our will, while overlooking the center of our struggle: ounelves. Even as we strove

to make our lives easier, we rarely thought to make ourselves stronger.

Never, that is, until now. We, as a race, are looking at last to

our frall and pitiful selves. Techno­logy has grown almoet to the point of humanity itself. Machines think, react, fight, work and serve. It was only a matter of time before we used the knowledge that we fought so hard for over the centuries to fuse human and machine into one Uving entity.

That time is now. Instead of attempting to better the fickle ways of nature, we are now on the verge of perfecting ourselves through tt>chno­logy. By doln@ so, we achieve a state of excelleDcJ Jlft"'oUaly undreamed or. We ......... a-eater than nature;·-•.•• -tile whimsical,~ bfteb that bir-thed us and left us to struggle alone and fndl. She will now bow to us. Ex~ through perfection is an

ideal . ..., of thinking. A way of crafti~ body and mind to be stron81MJHm its environment.

And CJI»ertronic is leading the way for revolution.

The Co111pa-Braln This is a truly amazing piece of I technology that sets Cybertronic

apart. Basically, a portion of the us­er's brain is replaced by an on-board computer that governs the autono­mous functions of the body, inclu­ding respiration and heartbeat. The compu-brain does not tire like its fleshy counterpart and, combined with Cybertronic's required personal exercise regime, can add years to the user's life, forcing death to step aside-at least for a while. Also, the compu-brain can convey special sen­sory abilities upon the user, making you far superior to your more fleshy counterparts.

With one of these hooked in, you enjoy deeper and 'Shall* percep­tions. You an dl!bm shlldows M1d silhodMIL .-.--.net MWS to see In dtrttMis. giving you an actvent.ge in elmost any tacti-cal situation. You can even ct.tec:t stNSiewls in the voi-ces andhllrt rites. and you CMI Ullngftl .......... Ml sort of ... d8llttdr.

This puts you squarely on top In aft situations. These abi­lities, coupled with the natural cunning tacateclln your still­fleshy higher brain, can make a you • nlgb\IMN In a dark

-· -1 ,.· .....

~ , ·::i31 < ~l.J1~ , r(~~~~ J;Mt.

Built to be the Best Through the creative genius of the Cybertronic Corporation, a means has been developed to make we humans far more than the clay (the Cardinal tells us) from which we were crafted. Its engineers have created a fusion of humanity and our tools, our machi­nes. This is the next step in our evo­lution.

The Cybertronic medical engineers, like the woman known only as Doctor Diana, have fmally managed to implant miniaturized machines into human bodies. This has been done before by other megacorporations, but with limited succ-ess. The great Cybertronic breakthrough was to dis­cover a way to implant tbese devices with Uttle or no chance of rejection.

There are many examples of the type of cybernetics available for implantation, although some are more amazing and useful than others. Some are little more than replace­ment organs, while others help to shape the human animal to a greater degree, making us faster, stronger, smarter and more durable.

alley or a simply a more useful tool for your Cybertronic superiors to call upon.

The Eyes Have It The Red Eye Cybertronic's advances in making

powerful things smaller has led to some incredible breakthroughs in the optical department. When it comes to eyes, no corporation is as far-seeing as the people at the HQ.

The Eye Marquee This snazzy litt­le mod monitors the current state

The latest thing in the optical arena is the ability to see into the infrared spec­trum-through your eyelids! Wrth this installed, you can actually pick up heat patterns like those created by warm bodies. You can detect body shapes through 6 inches of drywall and even track footprints up to five minutes old.

The Cat's Eye This nifty gadget was designed with outdoor opera­tions in mind. While the red eye is useful for picking up heat patterns and the like, the eat's eye peers into the ultraviolet spectrum. The coun-terpart to the UV sensors is a UV pro­jector located in the back of the eye. This provides unlimited clarity and depth perception in all lighting conditions, even total darkness. The UV flashlight portion of the system is partially visible,

.---....L..-----, and function of any on­board systems (whether implanted by Cybertronic or Mother Nature) and puts this information up on the inside of your eye. This is right where no one else could possibly see it, but you just can't miss it, no

L----r----....1 matter how hard you try. It comes in full 3-D and in any one of ten designer colors.

One of the best benefits is that you don't need to open your eyes to use this implant. which can be useful when feigning unconsciousness or simple sleep. In fact, you have to keep them shut. The inner layer of the eyelid is coa­ted with the material that picks up the heat waves, and a computer chip im­planted in on the bridge of your nose relays the information to your eyes, which interpret this wild new input for your brain.

making your eyes seem to L-----~-----,

glow in the dark, just like the felines the package is named after. This tell-tale can be a problem in some situa-tions, but the benefits usually out-weigh any potential drawbacks.

Body Building

8 uilding a better body has always been one of Cyber­

tronic's most successful R&D areas, for reasons that should be obvious. Their new line of implants and modifications completely domi­nates the market, just as their original products did. Since Cybertronic steadfastly professes to prefer organic over purely machine replacement and enhancement, they have several methods which fit into their design ethic.

Getting Boned A Bonejob modification takes the Cybertronic organic replacement ethic to the extre­me. Rather than strengthen or enhance bone structu­res with metal and micromotors, Cybertronic opted for reverse engineering. By removing 1Q-20% of the length of your long bones and reattaching your mus­cles to the shorter bone structures, they can boost your strength up to 40%.

The average Bonejob knock two to four inches off your height, but the benefits far outweigh the loss of stature. There have been no reports of loss of mobility or dexterity resulting from the procedure, although a few days of mild disorientation are normal. This is a direct result of having to get used to your shorter bones, and all reports indicate that most patients fully recover within 48 hours.

Getting a Leg Up Although Cybertronic main­tains its organic replacement ethic, it has produ­ced a new limited line of cybernetic limb replace­ments. These are designed to replace, not improve upon existing or lost limbs. Several clients claim a minor improvement in strength, manual dexterity and physical endurance. Cybertronic explains

that, although designed to meet normal perfor­mance criteria, the limbs are definitely a

slight improvement over organic limbs spe­cifically due to their structure and dura­

bility, not by any modification in their design.

Steel Skin A tremendous amount of research went into the development of

the Steel Skin. With synthedermis tech­nology, Cybertronic managed to create a

self-repairing synthetic armor that actually lies directly under your natural skin. Amaz­

ingly enough, this stuff can actually "heal" itself once damaged, by calling on your

body's own repair systems to do so. Early versions of subdermal armor made you look stiff and lifeless, something like a man­nequin. Today, Cybertronic latest version provides a normal appearance to a close examination, with the same texture as nor­mal skin. If you have a compu-brain instal-

led, you can actually monitor the Steel Skin and initiate repairs long before your still-in-shock body could ever get around

to it.

The Ceii·Link

Even though Cybertronic has developed many entirely original

products, they have also made some incredible improvements in more familiar tech. What they've done with the standard old tele­phone is entirely amazing.

The cell-link utilizes the user's own biological systems to set up an entirely inboard wireless phone. A fine mesh of speaker receptors is implanted into the skull of the user, acting as a reception and broadcast antenna. Speakers built into the skull allow for crystal-clear hearing, even under combat conditions. A

microphone implanted directly into the user's vocal cords allows for nearly silent communication. If you've got a compu-brain, too, you can even scramble and unscramble signals, making your private line entirely secure.

The Mirrormen are said to each be fitted with a cell-link and a compu-brain. These are all webbed in to a central locale, from which their commander can provide them with almost instantaneous feed­back and combat coordination. Their teamwork is literally hard­wired into their brains.

The Tin Man Any list of Cybertronic's

tech-savvy products would not be complete without including their top-shelf Tin Man line of armor. Integrated armor is the pinnacle of perso­nal armor systems. It is C'on­structed of a patented steel alloy which provides incredible protection without the extre­me weight or bulkiness you might expect from such mon­strous metal suits.

To use a Tin Man suit, you need subreal receptors so that you can properly control the suit. The hydraulic systems, which allow the amazing agili­ty commonly associated with this armor, require continu­ous, instantaneous feedback from the user's brain. Without the interface, the hydraulics react like they're filled with molasses, making the user an easy target. The feedback sys­tem allows the hydraulics to react to the user's movements faster than nature, in her short-sightedness, ever inten­ded.

At the End of the Day ,....-,tJese are but a fe\\ examples of .l Cybertronlc's latest undasstfied

technological "onde:>rs. \\ ith each pas­sing day, due to their efforts. we lx-mme more perfect.. more knowledgeable than creation iL'\elfin perfecting ow-sehes for the arduous task of staying alhe in an often' iolt'nt and unpredi<'lable world. This will be ow· guarantee of survival and the gr'ealcst gift to our progeny.

It is easy to see how Cybertronic has achieved excellency through perfec­tion. Through its knowledge of the human body, cybernetics and nature itself, Cybertromc has managed to perfect homo sapiens to a level which few ever realized we could reach.

Cybertromc, through its genius and foresight, has catapulted us to the next level of our evolution. Through its

\ision, in time, all wiU be equal in nature eyes. and she will be forced to st'n e us, instead of us struggling to sunive against her callous tempera­ml'llt. By Cybertronic's advan<'es, we can become masters of our world and of ourselves as well. We can prove our­selves as the rightful heirs of nature.

Is LIFE HARD FOR YOU? Do the pressures of modem life weigh heavily upon your shoulders? Is the burden of scratching out some sort of existence some­times too much to bear?

THE CARD I AL SAYETII, "Do not despair, my chil­dren. l can show you the way out of the soul-stealing Darkness and into the salvation of the Light. Heed my call, and my Brotherhood will give you succor." You may feel alone, entirely on your own with no one to help you, no one to hear your cries. But this is not true.

The Cardinal hears all; he knows all. And all you need to do is to accept his teachings into your life, and you shall know inner peace.

REMEMBER to attend mass weekly at your local chapel or Cathedral. If this is not possible, listen to the regular radio broadcasts on nearly all stations. Give generously to help us all in our war against the encroaching Darkness. And if you need help, if you ever encounter evidence of the Darkness, come to us. THE BROTHERHOOD IS ALWAYS THERE. ALWAYS.

How the old heavuweights plan to take on the new contender

Picture yourself at your favorite bar or club: you are comfortable there, )OU are a regular, one of the

important ones who get to sit at the bt•st table and drink the best liquor and eat the best food. You know the other regulars, they know you, and )OU all know "The Rules," the unwrit­ten code that governs how you each deal ,,;th each oth<'r. You each get a certain amount of space at the table, and you know who gets to cut the cards when it's time to play Luna Lo Ball. All the other people in the bar are just hangers-on for one or the other of you. They play by your rules, sit where you tell them to sit, do what­eH•r it takes to please you. Sure, you and the other old-timers have your squabbles, sometimes even all-out brawls, but things have been pretty stable for a long time, and you're mostly satisfied. Everything is nice, cozy and predictable.

But one day, without warning, some flashy new guy just walks in, pulls a chair up to your table, takes a

by Anthony Ragan

drink from your bottle and says he's buying in to your game. Just as you'rt' about to belt him one, you look around and see that some of your fol­lowers, people you had trusted for years, are now backing the new guy. And it's not just your gang: every single one of the old timers is losing supporters to this stranger. 1 ou look to the bartender to straighten things out, but he just smiles uneasily, pock­ets the big pile of Cardinal's Crowns the stranger gave him and says, "D<'al him in. He's one of you now."

Just like the scene in our imaginary bar, the megacorporations that have ruled the Solar System for centuries now have to deal with a new po,ver: Cybertronic. Within a few short hours, the shadowy brains behind U1e Cybertronic phenomenon stole legal control of assets all across the inner Solar System, costing the old mega­corps hundreds of billions of crowns in losses. Worse yet for Bauhaus, Capitol, Imperial and Mishima, thou­sands of their best employees and

their families defected to Cybertronic, showing no loyalty to their old bosses. ·within a few short years, Cybertronic had grown almost to the size of Imperial and had taken its own seat at the Cartel table as the fifth ruling megacorporation.

And how did the old guard react? With hatred and war, banding togeth­er to punish U1is brash upstart? In the case oflmperial, yes. But, true to U1e megacorp tradition, the others looked out for themselves frrst, leaving Imperial to twist in the wind, and made their ovm arrangements '"' ith the new Cybertronic cyborg, looking for profits first and ethics last.

That is what this article deals with: chromed diplomacy, how each of the old megacorps plans to handle Ule Cybertronic Phenomenon. The Lunar Voice will take you on a tour of high politics in the Solar System and show you why each corporation might just one day be a subsidiary of Cyber­tronic.

To humanity at large, Mishima flgurehead, laughed at by the Car- man auached to the Residence. It C'-· shows a powerful front. From tel representatives of the other was this policy of deliberate snub-c::u the Residence in Luna City, Over- corporations. "I suppose he has bing that led to what Mishima ·- lord Mishima, Emperor of a his ceremonial uses," ventured calls "The Regrettable Incident" at ""C:C

""C:C Thousand Suns and Prince of one bnperial bureaucrat who last year's Cartel Conference on

c:: Fire, rules over vast holdings on spoke on condition of anonymity, Advertising, "Hearts and Minds." t'CI Mercury, Mars, Venus and Luna. "but any real business is done in An ex-Hatamoto executive took

c::u With ten thousand courtiers and Longshore, if you know what I offense when a Cybertronic ""C:C his thousand fanatical 1 latamoto mean." The Overlord controls manager refused to stand during ·- guards, he directs relations with only his O\vn court, while real a toast to the Overlord, being =--""C:C

the rest of the Cartel while his power is held by his children, the more interested in his glass of loyal Heirs fiercely protect the Lord Heirs Moya of Mermry, Tronic Tonic Water. The ensuing

c::u family interests on the other three Maru of Venus and Mariko of gunfrre led to a rescue assault by c:: human worlds. E'\·en the Cardinal Mars. Though Lord 1\loya is tech- Cybertronic chasseurs that resul-·- consults him. Presenting an nically the senior of the three and ted in the near-destruction of the '--~ image of ancient power and glory, thus their leader, the Lord Heirs conference facilities, for which c...,) c:::) the Overlord and the \fishima spend as much time conspiring the Residence was forced to foot c= Corporation are equal to any chal- against each other as they do the bill.

t'CI lenge posed by advancing the company's inter- For its part, the Residence is

E Cybertronic. ests. These are the cracks in the more concerned with regaining The truth is, Mishima structure that hobble its authority over the Mishima

..c:: though, that the any attempt at a coherent Cyber- Corporation and honor among its c.n ·- Mishima facade is tronic policy. workers ttian with any threat 2!::: just that, a mask At the start, you can write off posed by Cybertronic. Give the c::u that has serious the Overlord. Cybertronlc bas. apparent close relations between

..c:: weaknesses when dealing with Cybertronic's repreMDtati:Yea at the Overlord and Cardinal ..,.._ the cold logic of the Cybertronic the Cartel act abnoat aa If they're Durand, and the Residence's need brain trust. The Overlord is an old under orders to ~snore any Miahi- for the Brotherhood's support, it is

no surprise that the Luna Resi­dence adheres to the Cardinal's policy towards Cybertronic, both official and unofficial.

lt is also no surprise that the fragmented factions of the Mishi­ma Corporation's empire led to a fragmented policy towards Cyber­tronic.l\lost powerful among the Lord Heirs is Lord Mo)a of Mer­CUI)". Prince of Soil. But he is more concerned by the machina­tions of his siblings on \'en us and Mars and the Imperial takeover of Fukido than with Cybertronic. He consequently had only formal objections when Capitol leased some of its office space in Fukido to Cybertronic.

In fact, sources \vithin Mishima have told The Lunar i oict that Lord Moya has some admiration for the loyalty that Cyber­

tronic employees display towards U1eir ftrm. He evidently hopes that the Cybertronic presenct' in Fuki-

"The business of Capitol is business." "War is bad for

business." "Peace means profits." "Tolerance, flexibility and adapta­biHty." These are some of the most common!~ heard sayings in the halls of power in San Dorado, the capital city of Capitol Corpora­tion. Whether it's in the Red Room of the Presidential Palace, the boardrooms of the Eleven Towers, or the ~ar .rooms of the Pyramid, mighty Capitol is com­mitted to getting the best goods for its citizens at the best price. Since so much of what ita dtizens '"ant comes from the other mega­corporations, that means the essence of Capitol's iliplomacy is "live and let live" and "business as usual." That includes Cybertronic.

Capitol did not fare badly in the birth of Cybertronic. Of all the mega ­corps, it lost the fewest properties and personnel. In fact, there b open respect for the way

Cy bertronic fonned itself out of nothing to climb to the top rank of the corporate club. Self-improve-

do \\ill prove a distraction for Imperial. Rumor has it that secret negotiations are going on even now to provide Cybertronic with cheap Mercurian resources in return for the use of heavy Chas­seur and Cuirassier units in what may be an allt>mpt to revoke the Imperial lease on Fukido early. But, worry these same Mishima sources, once the Cybert.ronic troops arrive, who will make them leave again? Certainly not the lightly anned and annored Mishima troops, who are ill-equ­ipped to take on even a squad of Attilas.

The policies of Lord Heirs Maru and Martko toward Cybertronic are more simple: Cybertronic is not a threat but a resource in the struggle against Moya and each other. With this in mind, uncon­firmed reports have each negotia­ting secretl) with C)·bertronic to obtain the technology that "ill allow them to fonn small units of cybernetic soldiers on the model of the Chasseurs. In return,

ment has always been popular \\ith Capitolians. "You have to give them credit," says Craig Horning, Director of Creative ~farketing for Unhersal.\.fotion Pictures. "people lo\e a winner, and the Cybertronic story is a winner's story. In fact, we've just started shooting a drama based on the founding of Cybertronic star­ring Jack Slade and Liza Berg­man. It's callt>d Corpbusters."

Capitol has also been renowned for its \\illingness to defend itself against all outside threats, its pea­ceful proclivities not withstan­ding. \\11ether it's on the Grave­send peninsula of Venus against Bauhaus, the southern reaches of Mars against Mishima and Impe­rial, or the Citadel of Saladin, Capitol's AFC, led by the Free Marines, has never been shy of standing up for the megacorpora­tion's rights. Indeed, analysts con­sulted by Thl' lAmar Voice have suggested that Capitol's historic antipathy for Imperial, dating from Imperial's intervention against Strike Force Saladin, may be a major factor in Capitol's fri­endly neutrality towards Cyber-

C)bertronic gets neutrality in its operations against Imperial hol­dings on Venus and Mars. This accounts for the lethargic investi­gation by Mishima police loyal to Lord Heir Maru into the assassi­nation of Keith Alexander Axel­thorpe, an Imperial la\vyer well known for his efforts against Cybertronic in the courts.

These secret dealings are not \\itllout their dangers, however. There have been rumblinp in the Inquisition against the seductions of Cybertech, and suggestions that more spirited investigations are needed into possible heresy in Mishima holdings on Venus and Mars. Mishima scientists familiar with the Ofl'enhauer Theol) won­der about the continued loyalty of Mishima troops melded "ith Cybertronic implants. Canny observers see the collapse of Mis­hima from its internal divisions and wonder if its dealings with Cybertronic won't leave the newest megacorp in the best posi­tion to pick up the pieces.

tronic. "Since Imperial hates Cybertronic, Capitol sees this as a way to h\eak Her Serenity's nose," says Henryk hlssiman, spe­cialist in Inter-Corporation rela­tions at Luna City Free University.

The Capitolians' admiration \\ith Cybt•rtronic has led to many theories about its striking success. Most famous of these is the "Sulli­van Syndrome," named for its developer. the famed combat psy­chologist Dr. Simon Sullivan. Briefl), Sullivan argued that defec­tors to Cybt>rtronic haYe acquired a mental disease that leads them to renounce their fonner lives and surrender their wills to the corpo­rate identity. While few serious academics took Sullivan's theories seriously, he generated quite a controversy whiJe arguing for it during many tt>levision and railio appearances. This was all cut short when he died of an apparent heart failure at the age of 28.

But in a seoop for The Lunar I oirl', our reporters ha,·e discov­ered that Dr. Sullivan did not die, but is himself a defector to Cyber­tronie, evidently a victim of his own syndrome. Our sources con-

...... ---·-

fmn that he is working for Cyber- said Stephen Camper, Capitol's agers, especially in the military-tronic at an undisclosed location, chief public relations officer on industrial complex at the P)Ta-perhaps in C} beropolis, Cyber- Luna. Cybertronic's rapid rise and mi<l, have 8J'&Ve <loubts about the • tronic's dosed city on Mars. \\'hat the efficiency of its workers all loyalty of any Cybertronic citizens he is doing there is unknown, but point to an incredibly profitable acquired by Capitol. Unnamed reports indicate that Capitol's operation, one which Capitol sources have said that the vague External Intelligence Agency is would dearly love to add to its identities ofCybertronic's upper ardently working to fmd out. portfolio. In consequence, the managemt'nt lt>ave them concer-

\\ hile Capitol maintains cordial fmancial wizards of DEPICOR, ned that Capitol would be taking relations with Cybt>rtronic, this Capitol's office of external rela- many new workers and managers

does not mean they tions, and DEFEI, its office of whose real allegiance might lie do not want what industrial and l."conomi(' affairs, ''ith a sl."cret cabal outside of Cybertronic has. are staying up late at night deter- Capitol control. They fear that the Unlike Imperial and mining if Capitol has the resour- quest for profit might lead Capitol the other megacor- ces to buy Cybt>rtronic assets, or to one day be taken over by the porations, Capitol perhaps Cybertronic itsf'lf. very company they took over. But has alWays made its But not all Capitolian executivf's theirs is a minority voice barely

acquisitions through peaceful are gung ho for such an acquisi- hf'ard at OEPICOR, where every-take-overs and buy-outs. "A tion. The Lunar Voice has learned thing is "business as usual." wrcckNI mine profits no one," that high-ranking Capitol man-

Alone umong the megacorpora- settlements in the Landhaus basin They don't have any initiative, tions, Imperial has been un- of Venus. just programmed instructions.

alterably hostile to Cybertronic But, against Cybertronic, Imp- They're not human-they're since its founding. Certainly, they erial conducts a policy of com- machines!" lost heavily when the nt'w mega- plete embargo: no trade \\hatso-corporation was born. Billions of ever. Why? crowns in assets were taken over The answers lie in Imperial's

For and Against by Cyhettronic overnight, includ- other eternal struggle: the war ing mining settlements in the against thf' Dark Lt>gion. Imperial

C"\.o asteroids that had been clan hold- publicly embraces the idea that IC:: ings siJH·e before Imperial's own Gybertronic's success is (•xplained c:::» founding. Worse still was the by Cybertronic being a front for Arguments about

::..:::: whether Cybertronic is c..,.) simultaneous defection of almost the Dark Apostles. Imperial offici-:::::::1 the entirt•ty of Clan St. John-Ross, als argue that the failure of the good for humanity or just '-- whose clan holdings on Luna Inquisition to fmd any Dark Taint another facet of evil incar-....._ c.n became th(' site of Cybertronic's in the souls of Cybertronic nate have been ongoing Cl.) corporate headquarters. To this employees is not evidence of their since the Founding Day. It's

""C:C day, it is still considered a gross purity. Rather, it is a sign of a new hard to stay out of the con-.. breach of etiquette to mention pattem in the Dark Symmetry, '-- troversy that rages over c:::» that clan's name in polite com- one that has yet to be understood Cybertronic, but some few IC:: pany. and exposed. "Look at their c:::» But this does not explain the bloody equipment," says retired manage to do so. In the .c:: end, this is how everyone .. unending nature of Imperial's Colonel Alfred Nunez-Ma<·Guire ::::::r hatred towards Cybertronic . of the \Volfbane Commandos. "It's (apparently) lines up: ....._

Oll1er megacorporations have lost got 'Made in :'-lero' stamped all For :::::::1 ""C:C heavily at one time or another, over it. Sure it's chromed and Bauhaus . . but rarely ha'e they ever let grud- shiny, but I've killed enough Dark Lord Heir Mariko -I'CJ ges keep them from doing busi- Legionnaires to recognize ecro- Lord Heir Maru ·- ness "ith their erSt\\ hile enemies. technology when I see it." Aplnst '--Cl.) E,·en while Capitol's Free Ma- It's not just the cybertech that Brotherhood c::l. rines battle Mishima for control of every Cybertronic employee E the southern sports that Imperials loathe: Ute~ Dark Legion

hemisphere of are repelled by the cold <'orporate Imperial Mars, the corpora- unity of the Cybertronic employee Overlord Mishima lion engages in a that subsumes the individuallO Neutnl very profitable the whole. "It's whatever trick capitol trade with Mishima they pull that lets them interface Cartel on Mercury. lmpe- with their cybernetics that's evil," Lord Heir Moya

rial itself trades with Bauhaus, swore Highlander Sergeant Rory even though they had a serious OakenflSL "Sure, it makes them !l'cent dash over new Imperial tough, but it sucks their soul.

I

·--

Imperial policy toward Cyber­tronic is not limited to a refusal to trade. The Serene Family and the Clans of Imperial have always viewed conquest as a lt>gitimate means of expansion: they plan their new settlements as military operations. Against Cybertronic, this policy is carried to the extent of waging a secret war almost as intense as that against the Dark Legion. Indeed, to lmpt>rial, they are one and the same foe. except that seizure of Cybertronic hold­ings is always much more profit­able. Most recently, there was the surprise assault against the Cybertronics CyberChcm plant in lands leased from Capitol on the Gravesend Peninsula of Venus. After its capture, Imperial expel­led all Cybertronic employees

and brought in their O\'l'n people. Now they sell the facili­ty's products at a price cheaper than Cybertronic did.

Somt>times, though, Imperial has been too eager to pursue t11eir policy of confrontation and has been

burned by S\\1, Cybertronic's war­fare and intelligence department Astute readers of 17ze LuTUJr Voice will recall this year's mysterious destruction of the Demimonde oil refmery on Luna's dark side, a facility of unknown ownership. Sources tell the Voice that this came about due to a raid by Her Serenity's Air Force, which was convinct>d that the refinery was a Cybertronic holding. It was, until a few days before the attack when it was secretly sold to Lord Heir Moya. Voice sources further tell that only an intense effort by the Imperial Ministry of External Relations and a personal letter of apology from Her Serenity herself prevented the outbreak of open war with Mishima.

The ISC, Imperial's Security Command, pursues its own an actiYe policy against Cybertronic, though necessarily a clandestine one. ISC---5, the legendary espio­nage division, is known to spend as much time operating against Cybertronic as it does against the Dark Legion. Its agents track dovm, identify and expose Cyber­tronic spies within other corpora-

lions and reveal minor freelance corporations as Cybertronic fronts. ISC-5 agents conduct active int<>lli­gence operations against Cyber­tronic holdings, looking as much for proof of Dark Symmetry taint as for more mundane corporate secrets. They have bad less suc­cess here, tl10ugh, because of the almost unnatural loyalty of nearly all Cybertronic employees. The recent <'Onfession of a Cybertronic vice-president to espionap and his willing exposure of bJmaelf as an Imperial operative show the difficulties the ISC faces when try­ing to penetrate Cybertronic.

Assassination and terrorism are the final tool of Imperial policy towards Cybertronic. Though denied by any Imperial represen­tatives contacted by The Lunar Voice, sources speaking on condi­tion of anonymity confrrm what a close watching of events hints at: the occasional bombings of Cyber­tronic offices and murders of its top executives are not just the work of random terrorists, but a campaign of secret war orchestra­ted by JSC---5 through hired opera­tives. Consistent with Imperial

doctrine, the connec­tions between these freelance agents and Imperial are always vague and easily deniable.

The student of megacorporate diplo­macy is left to won­der what the clans of Imperial have gained from this intransigent policy. Pressed by the Dark Legion and faced by strained relations with the other megacorpora­tions, Imperial is <'Onfronted by a Cybertronic that continues to grow larger and more powerful each year. Though they see it as their duty to carry on what to them is but another facet of the struggle against the Dark, their devotion may cost them the ultimate price.

T hough technically not a mega­corporation itself, the Cartel

functions as a powerful, indepen­dent entity in chromed diplomacy. While its stall is composed of dt>legations from the other mega­corporations. the) often act inde­pendently for their o\\n interests and that of the Cartel as a "'hole. The Cart(') Securit) Council also <'ommands the elite Doomtroop­ers, a milital') force that, "hile dedicated to the light against the Dark Legion, prmides impressive muscle to back up the Cartel's relations with the nu.•~~;acor'J)ora­tions.

It is through the Doomtroopers that U1c Cat·tt•l has its closest rela­tions with Cyber·tr·onic. Via its

public pr·onotmce­ments, Cybertronic has enlisted whole­heartedly in the \\ar against the Dark Legion, though to a chorus

of scom from the Imperial delega­tion. It has readil)' met the Securi-1)' Council's requests for military

units, sending large numbers of Cuirassier and Chasseur units into Cartel service. 'lot only does this benefit the Cartel by gh ing it the use of top-notch fighters, but Cybertronic scores immense public relations benefits by having its troops seen alongside the more famous Free ~1arines and Venus­ian Rangers. (Lnofficial Security Council policy has been to keep Cybertronic forces out of an) units that contain Imper·ial soldi­ers, for reasons of "w1it cohesion and morale.") Cybert.ronic enter­tainment subsidiaries regularly produce news frlms and television broadcasts of CybertJ'onk Doom­troopers in action.

Within the bureaus of the Cartel itself, Cybertronic's influence is more subtle, though still power­ful. The delegations of the other megacorporations, \\ith the moderate exception of the Bau­hausers, keep the ever-smiling, ever-efficient Cybertronic delega­tes at arm's length, dealing with them only wht>n necessary. In­deed, they are noticeably absent

from the invitation lists of Cartel parties during the social season. Cybt>rtronic apparently has little power in the Cooperation Council and the various administrative organs, but tht> contributions of their forces to the Doomtroopers makes them a strong voice in the all-in1portant Security Council. More ominously, according to anti-Cybertronic sources in the Cartel, many Bauhaus initiatives in the Council actually originate with Cybertronic.

These san1e sources tell The Lunar Voice that Cartel executives are not all buying the Cybertronic pledges of loyalty to the Cartel and its fight against the Dark Le­gion. There are repeated reports of secret inquiries by the BII, the Bureau of Internal Investigations, into possible subversion of Cartel officials by Cybertronic. While the Cartel values Cybertronic as an ally against the Dark Legion, it is also apparently watching for the Piranha baJTt>l in the back.

Megacorporate Threat Assessment Sure, Cybertronic's got everyone shaking in their com­

bat armor, but what's that mean to them? The fol­lowing is lifted from a spate of recent memos floating throughout a Cybertronic branch office. (The people at the HQ always shred their trash.) You may notice a pat­tern.

Group

Capitol

Bauhaus

Imperial

Assessment Hands-off attitude serves Cybertronic well. Antipathy for Imperial could translate into short-term friendships. Generally unwilling to use force against Cybertronic. No real threat. Cybertronic's original parent corpora­tion. Can play upon Bauhausers' pride in all things they are/were involved in. Unhostile, almost adoring. No real threat. Hostile, but easily manageable. Fact­ious nature of clans makes instigation of infighting simple. Could use belief in Cybertronic's reputed allegiance to the Dark Soul against them. Despite the economic embargo, no real threat.

Mishima The Lord Heirs are too busy squab­bling among themselves. Individually, they may even be manipulated into acting as Cybertronic allies for short periods of time. No real threat.

cartel No teeth except for the Doomtroop­ers, nearly one-fifth of which are Cybertronic. No economic power at all. No real threat.

Brotherhood Despite the Cardinal's immense politi­cal power, he is unwilling to condemn so many people at once for fear of starting a civil war that would leave humanity vulnerable to the Dark Le­gion. Barring any solid proof of a Cybertronic connection to the Dark Legion, no real threat.

Dark Legion Cybertronic's technology and person­nel are immune to the Dark Legion's influence. Cybertronic is incorruptible. Barring a full-out, coordinated attack involving each of the Apostles, no real threat.

- - -- - Iii

w.thout a doubt, the Bauhaua Corporation suffered surp,.

ing losses from the fonnation of Cybertronic. Many valuable prop­erties were legally stolen by the Cy bers, and they gained more new employees from Bauhaus than from any other megacorpo­ration. This brain drain continues to this day to such an degree that Bauhaus executives will active)f seek recruitment by CybertroDk; a phenomenon almost unheard of in the rest of the Solar System.

When it comes to relations with Cybertronic, though, Bauhaus stands in surprising contraat to Imperial. While Imperial opinions range from quiet contempt to full­blown hatred, Bauhausers have great respect for Cybertronic and its accomplishments, and intercor­porate relations are almost friend­ly. In fact, a recent public opinion survey by Capitol's lnfiniNet news service showed that a stunning 78% of Bauhausers believe that

being hired by Cybertronic is a sign of the hi8hest suc­ceas, even tbouih that means leMiDI Bauhaus service.

Bauhaus therefore follows a straightforward policy of

~peration and trade with Cybertronic. Cybertronic supplies many hip quality 1oods to Bau­ltaus diviaiona, while Bauhaus -..r is Cybertronic's single larg­est IOUJ'Ce for raw materials and auppiN. knt•s,~Mo acts as a pt for c,hertroldciDteresta in __ Cartel, often porll'aJiDg poUci-ell-. arillnetecl with Cybertron­ic ulta own, siQce they would be almost automatically rejected by

othermegacorporations

-a=ebe ........ Ilia Tbla~ aeta

Bauhaui....U*atecea: first, bJ&b-tedl COIDJNIIM'IIII obtained from c,bertroalc and lidded to Ba•• produda pve tbem an edse iD qualiiJ tbal makes them coiDpetltl•e with the more nwner­ous Capitol and Mishima goods. Second, Bauhaus gets favorable treatment when trying to invest in Cybertronic operations, thus ~ng a portion of Cybertron­ic'a profits home to Heimburg. "--ly, Bauhaus makes no secret altll desire to figure out just how Cybertronlc has been so success­ful with t-ybemetic implants. They hope the cooperation of their sci­entists with Cybertronic's will lead them to this dream. So far,

their dramatic failure witll the "Ticker" drug (Monosodiummor­tobensaliumamononitrite-3) and the "blueberry" supplements show just how far away from this Bauhaus is.

Still, quiet conversations be­tween The Lunar Voice and un­namt>d high Bauhaus officials in the Twin Towers reveals a disquiet about relations with Cybertronic that indicates possible u.ble to come. Perhaps it was~ tion of General Jean- n­hauer, once head of the Baubaua team re earching Cybertronic's success with implants. General Offenhauer is now Chairman of Cyberchemicals, Inc., and is undoubtedly privy to Cybertron­ic's secrets. So far, he has failed to share these with his ex-colleagu­es at Bauhaus.

More vague are the hints drop­ped from circles close to U1e office of Duke Elector Romanov. com­mander of the Bauhaus armed forces, of the f£'ar that C) bertron­ic rna) someho'" be the result of a Bauhaus project gone badly awry. What this project may have been, none will say, but the similarities between the Bauhaus and Cyber­tronic styles hints at a conspiracy by ex-Bauhaus executives who have broken away and fonned Cybertronic as a rogue op­

eration. Whatever the truth

may be, there is no doubt of a rising rear among some high­ranking Bauhausers that their own peo­ples' devotion and admiration for quali­ty before all else might lead to a sense of inferiority when dealing with Cyber­tronic that could lead to Bauhaus's e' entu­al absorption b) iLs ally. Though this concern is still ill­formed and given credence by only a minority, there is the possibility of a back­lash against C) ber­tronic that, ir it comes, will shake the Solar System.

How does one sum up ''The Cyber­tronic Way"? So little is known about this cor·poration and its busi­

ness practices that it is impossible to get a clear picture as to just what this phrase means. If you \\ere to ask an average Cybertronic employee, he might tell you that it simply means this: that only the best is good enough, be all that you can be, and rely on yourself and on your own abiUties. To many. though, including this author, this ans" er is simpl} too pat and does little more than toe the corporate tine. It is c<>rtain that the only true answer will be found from

lhose outside Cybert.r·onic's control. It seems, therefore, that the best we can come up with for this conundrum is to pick through the miasma of rumor, half-truths and out-and-out ties, and see if there is a common thread run­ning through them. Only then might we lind the true "Cybertronic Way."

Cybertronic, without a doubt, con­ducts most of its business behind dos­ed doors. Whereas the other corpora­tions are either deliberately open or have difficulty hiding their dealinp from the media, Cybertronic is an unknown quantity. Even otr-the­record discussions with Cybertronlc

staff members are impossible, sueh is the loyalty of its workforce. Only by talking to various sources that have been on U1e inside and have since left have I been able to formulate an) kind of idea as to Cybertronic's true nature. After talking to these people, I fmd myself leaning toward the opini­on that Cybertronic is more like a r·eligion than a business. These ex­workers seem almost brainwashed, unable to explain their actions ''bile employed there. This would go a long way to explaining the almost fanatical loyalty Cybertronic staff members show to Uwir employer.

, The Cybertronic Way

Tlw corporation has often been c·ompar·ed to a termite mound: a large, faceless entity, inhabited by millions of workers fulfilling their o"n. independent agendas, yet almost miraculously achieving the communit)'s merall aims. Carrying the metaphor on, like termites in their mound. the bulk of the corpora tion's \\ork is hidden from sight, buri­ed deep in the HQ, away from prying C)CS.

It set>ms likely that Cybertroni<''s inlt•mal structure is also modeled on a tt•rmit<• mound. From what little we know, Cybertronic works on a ct•ll­based management structure, with t>adt dhision r·esponsible for its 0\\11

business and \\ith little or no daily <'Ontrol from a higher managemt•nt le\el. The higher management struc­tures seem content to lay out general dirl.'clions rather than become imol­\ed in the minutiae of local problems and Uteir solutions. How tl1e uppt>r

management ean retain such an over­view is one of the greatest questions posed by this business model, which in countless other cases has proved unworkable. One c.·an only surmise that the normal results of this struc­ture-that the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing-have not yet surfaced due to nothing more than good luck or an extremely effici­ent cover-up operation. It is simply not feasible that such a structure could work on evt-n a global scale.

An extremely eflicient media cover­up operation might also explain Cybertronic's other major difference from the other corporations: their abilit) to be seen to be doing nothing while all the time working fe' erishly behind the scenes. Indeed, it strikes me that Cybertronic almost always presents its achievements as faits accomplis-many workers have been told they are now part of the Cyber­tronic Corporation before they have

even realized they are the subjects of a takeover. Perhaps this is "The Cybertronic Way"?

Cybertronic's rapid rise to ils cur­rent position as fifth-largest megacor­poration was achieved in just this manner. Within hours, it had appear­ed from no" here, with no warning and surprisingly little response from the other corporations. It's w1likely that a mo,·ement of money of this magnitude across the world's markets could ha'e gone unnoticed, but that is exactly what seems to have occurred. The only possible explanation is that the other corporations allo\\ed il: that the) km'"' it ''as happening and did nothing. The rapid defection of top personnel from these very same com­panies ''ould, to e\·en the most cynic­al obsener, suggest that this inac­tivity was deliberate and calculated. It seems lik<•ly that Cybertroni<' has existed as a hidden corporation for many years, with staff widely distrib-

'-· ... -,.., - ~....... - - - - .

n The Cybertronic Way

uted amongst its competitors, feed­ing it the valuable information it needed for such an endeavor and biding their time until the act occurred. When the moment was right, these personnel were instru­mental in allowing their employers to be swallowed up by the fledgling Cybertronic and form part of the new megacorporation.

One related question that springs to mind when discussing this aspect of Cybertronic's business is how do they know what the other corporations are doing even now V\<ith such certainty? It's unlikely that this is mere chance, luck or even educated guesswork on Cybertronic's part. It seems plausi­ble that, even after the corpora­tion's formation, some Cybertronic staff remained ·within the other cor­porations, almost certainly in posi­tions of power, and are still feeding their true masters vital information regarding their putative employer's plans. How deep this infiltration goes is a difficult question to an­swer. Suffice to say that I am not even sure that this text will reach you, the reader, in its original form; I have every expectation that it will be heavily edited and retain little of the information I know as fact. I have no doubt that it will be de­based as little more than idle specu­lation and rumor-the rantings of a conspiracy theorist. For this reason, I am loathe to reveal my sources. I know full well that any mention of where my information comes from "'ill put friends at risk.

You might think that seems a little paranoid. My argument to that statement would be that paranoia is the belUifthat people are out to get you. If I revealed my sources, or even my mn1 identity, I have no doubt that their lives and mine would be in danger. I have concrete proof that Cybertronic has assassi­nated high-ranking opponents in rival corporations that have been overtly hostile to their plans. This is why armed conflict with rivals is such a rarity. Cybertronic has no n~ed to declare war on its oppo­nents when, by virtue of a single bullet, it can prevent an enemy from lllUitering its forces.

When assassination is not an option-possibly because of the media attention it would command, or the reluctance to create a mar­tyr-Cybertronic often reverts to other, more subtle means of achieving the same end. It is often the case that Cybertronic armed forces in1Utrate their enemy and, using guerrilla tactics, destroy it from within, often before the target is a ware of the attack. If this style of conflict is deliberate or if Cybertro­nic's structure of small, indepen­dent mlits makes any larger scale actions impossible is hard to say. Alternatively, the reason why all­out war is rare could be that Cyber­tronic currently bas too few 'redun­dant' personnel to waste in such pointless endeavors.

In those situations where armed conflict is unavoidable, Cybertronic has a small available force compo­sed almost entirely or chasseurs and cuirassiers. 'these units are probably the best-equipped and trained of all the corporations' armed forces, and they can be deployed at a moment's notice with little or no briefmg. Tactics remain at the squad level, with rapid, deci­sive strikes the norm. These light­ning-quick raids are always well organi~ With all operatives equippel With the fmest, most advancflllb.aonry available. This ability w enw'combat before the opponent'& forces have even grasped the objectives to be a­chieved gives Cybertronic a huge advantage. While the enemy is still figuring out what to do, Cyber­tronic's forces may lilready have achieved their goal and be in a position to end the conflict before it really began. Where other corpo­rations prefer to wear down their enemy with relentless pounding by hordes of foot soldiers, Cybertronlc prefers the surgical removal of an opponent's commanders, leaving the bulk of the opposition leader­less, directionless and thua ¥ their mercy.

Beyond the~~:~~=~=~ siers, Cybertronlc's profile special force acknowledged II daat men, 10 called~'•'lH

The Real Way

Since our rambling reporter couldn't seem to make up his mind on a definition of

"The Cybertronic Way," we thought we'd hit up a few people with a bit more emphatic feelings on the matter.

"They're a bunch of bloody bastards. What they did with Clan St. John-Ross-excuse me for even mentioning their faithless names­was the greatest crime against the Throne since the Sad Struggle itself! Their ways are sneaky and underhanded, entirely devoid of honor and unworthy of noble people everywhere."

-Baxter Bartholomew, Clan Bartholomew spokesman, Imperial

"Well, I gotta admit, I'm pretty damned impressed by those Cybers. They showed a lot of initiative and ambition starting up their own megacorp the way they did. Sure, it might have been them behind the crash at Seipen's, but hey, if the rules aren't working the way you want them to, it's time to change the rules. The Cybertronic Way? Sounds a lot like the Capitol way to me!"

-Jasper Carlsbad, president Of Hope University, Ctpltol

"The people of Cybertronic are out-and-out evil. There is little doubt as to who their true masters are. Their way is to insinuate them­selves into the very fabric of our society and then to destroy us from within. We must be ever vigilant against them and their kind. They are by far the most insidious threat humanity has ever seen. Turn to the Cardi­nal-turn to the light-and you need not fear."

-Makhtar Hurlstien, Street Missionary, Third Directorate, the Brotherhood

"They are without honor." -Overlord Mishima

"Imperial whines about Cybertronic all the time. I remember there was a time when there were only three megacorporations. When Imperial came along, it was Capitol who complained. You'd think now that the shoe is on the other foot they'd be more understanding, but I suppose that's not In their nature." -Mimi Bernheim, House Bernheim, Bauhaus

"The Cyberdudes kick gluteus maximusl Their way? Way cool!"

-Marta Gutierrez, freelance haCker

"They shall not stand before the face of the Great Darkness! Their way-and the way of the rest of humanity-Light-blinded losers!-runs straight to eternal doom!"

-Brian Traechto, admitted Heretic, moments before his death

"Our way? The way of the future." -Sondra Ralsheim, ETP, Cybertronic

I

, The Cybertronic Way

is highly polished and reflects light like a mirror. They are used exclu­sively in urban combat where civil­ians are involved. Their highly visible appearance senes to draw the ene­my's fire a,,·ay from any innocent by­standers and toward the l\lirrormen themseh:es. Even under heaYy fire. these soldiers feel safe, due to the remarkable construction of their armor, which can withstand all but the heaviest direct blast. These soldiers are proud of their high visi­bility, both literally and in the media, and seek publicity wherever possible. One has to ask whether such a force really is nect.>sSaiJ , or whether the whole concept is designed to appeal to a media-hungry populace while the real wars are being carried out in the boardrooms of l'ivals and in secret negotiations with undesirables. This manipulation of the media is typical of a business 'vith something to hide. It seems highly implausible that a company with such talented staff, highly advanced weaponry, and well­trained troops would seem so reluc­tant to enter combat. l\o one doubts that, 8fven the motivation, Cybertro­nlc could expand its control even fw·­ther. It Ia not totally impossible they could prove a fatal threat to the other corporations if they so wished. Just what is stopping Cybertronic taking control by forct• of arms?

Sources indicate tl1at there are many special troops available to Cybertronk that could be used for such a purpose, though verified first­hand sightings are rare. It seems that the existence of such units is used more as a threat against the other megacorps than as part of a useful fighting force. Ghen the corporation's high level of technological ad,ance­ment, even if they are concepts rather than actual fighting units, there is no doubt that such units could be equip­ped and deployed as rapidly as any force the other corporations could muster. It seems that these special troops' existence is often used to deter their opponents from even rais­ing arms against them, rather than as a response: to ongoing conflict.

This odd pattern of sudden, almost unbelievable growth, quickly follow ed by a reluctance to carry through the implied threat of conquest of the

other corporations, lends Cybertronic an almost unworldly edge. This is not a normal business model: corpora­tions with real aims and ambitions would not show mercy in this way against their competitors. I am afraid that, even after long study, I am no nearer fmding an ans"er to this conundrwn. I just cannot c·ompre­hend the agenda that C)'bertronic are working through, and cannot hazard a guess as to their ultimate goal. All that's clear is that Cybertronic is a corporation unlike any other.

When it comes to their daily dea­lings with the other corporations, Cyberu·onic exerts a suspiciously

Is it possible that the Brotherhood itself requested

Bauhaus to set up this corporation, creating an enemy closer to home?

strong ability to control situations for their benefit. 'Whether this is merely razor-sharp diplomacy or something more sinister is open to question. It is my opinion that Cybertronic uses its "insider employees" to manipulate its opponents' actions and pass secrets under the boardroom table. l\owhere is this more "isible than with their almost incestuous relationship with Bauhaus. It is no secret that Bauhaus owns an awful lot of stock in 0~ ber­tronic companies, and holds no qualms in dealing with its smaller rival. What makes this even more Sttrprising is the fact that many of Cybertronic's top people, especially in the military arm of the corporation, came direct from Bauhaus.

One might even suggest U1at the whole of Cybertronic is simply a faca­de to enable Bauhaus to strengthen its position without arising suspicion. It would not surprise me if, at some indeterminate point in the future, Cybertronic and Bauhaus merged to form a single, immense force poised

to crush all of its competitors. Offen­hauer's theory of biomechanical alterations of Cybertronic personnel seems farcical in this light. If this Cybertronic/Bauhaus duopoly is the case, Cybertronic's apparent control of Bauhaus is completely volunla!J on Bauhaus's part, and is effected to cre­ate a mysterious image for Cyber­tronic, both for the media's and tile other corporations' benefits. When you also consider the alarming regu­larity with which Bauhaus and Cyber­tronic armed forces can be found fighting alongside each other, you'll agree that Utis scenario rapidly be­comes more than idle speculation. Bauhaus' anti-Cybertronic statements in the corporation's early days then take on U1e distinct stench of smoke screen and cover-up.

Indeed, if we pursue this line of thought, we might also explain how Cybertronic seems able to survive without the Brotherhood's patronage. Is it possible that the Brotherhood itself requested Bauhaus to set up this corporation, creating an enemy closer to home? \\bat better way to bring home the menace of the Dark Sym­metry than convincing the populace that their own employers might be part of it. The underhanded way the corporation seems to acquire other companies could be little more than a media-ready subtext for the way the Dark SymmetJ)' operates, designed so that parallels can easily be drawn be­tween the two. Imagine the surprise when an employee who thinks he is working for a Imperial-funded manu­facturer suddenly realizes that he has, in fact, been a CJ bertl'onic employee for o\·er hvo months. Is that not likely to make him realize how easily he can be deceived, how '\\hat he assu­mes to be true is not always so, how vulnerable he is to the influence of the Dark Symmetry, and how com­forting the ever-waiting arms of the Brotherhood suddenly seem?

How deep does this rot go? Imperial is also \OCal in their condemnation of Cybertroni<'. ls it not just possible that the reason they allow their staff to migrate to Ute fledgling corporation with little or no protest, is that they too are acting under the Brotherhood's request to create this new enemy? Perhaps all these corporations allow

, The Cybertronic Way

Cybertronic to trim those staff who might be more susceptible to influence from the Dark, thus herding them into an eas)-to-monitor environment "hilc preventing that same work force from realizing this is the <·ase. Cybertro­nic may seem impenetrable to those outside its influence because it is designed to protect them from the enemy in their midst. Should we in fad stop trying to penetrate its facade lest we discover that that truth is even less palatable than we could e\er imagine? Even if this is so, I believe it is our duty to discover the truth, for kee(>ing anything from us only breeds suspicion, contempt and other neg­ative emotions that the Dark so wants us to possess.

One only has to consider Cybertronic's deal­ing with the media to appr«.>ciate how much they are hiding. Their reSJ)Onses to outsiders are almost laughabl«.>. R«.>quests for information are invariabl)' ignored or else bounced from one PR departn1<'ntto anotht••· \\ith little chance of a straight anS\\er. \t times it seems that the only information that can be made public about the corporation is the infonnation they want made public. The Brotherhood's tight control on almost all media outleLo;, and iLc;-shall ''e say, strained-dealings with Cybertronic, even if onl) a facade, has forced the ('(Jrporation to preach its message through its own indepen­dent channels. These solely owned broadcas­ters, whatever their form of delivery, feed the public a \"thitewashed \Crsion of the truth that cannot be trusted. It is up to independent publishers like this magazine to try and present the truth as it becomes known.

Perhaps Cybertronic's token contribution to the Brotherhood's doct•·ine can be read as a double bluff by the B•·otherhood. What better way to if not swell then motivate the Brother­hood's rank-and-file than p•·escnting a corpor­ation that so publicly fails to believe and then watching the effecl'i Utat this <'an cause. Is it the Brotherhood's ultimate plan to publicly and visibly allow enough of our species to fall under the influence of the Dark Symmetry to streng­then their own position? Are \\C only moments away from the organized genocide of millions of people simply to make a point?

From a study of their business practices, the way they wage war, and their dealings \vith other corporations and the media, it seems that "The C)bertronic Way" •·emains largely a m~·stery. It can at best be summed up thus: maximum ,;a in for minimum outlay-but this is merely over-simplifying what can, in all truth, barely be comprehended. There seems little rational plan behind the corporation and its dealings to someone so far outside its boardrooms as nw-or you.

lwalk<•d into the halls of Cybertron­ic's headquarters with some tr·cpid­ation. Rumors of the megacorp's ties

to the Dark Legion seem all too real \\hen crossing the dark moat that sur­rounds its foreboding home. An escort of chasseurs met me at the gate. "State your nanw and business," they said calmly.

lf11at hat·e I gotten myself into.? I asked as I looked at the gleaming half-men, half-machine. "11-hensley," I stammered. "I'm a reporter for The Lunar Voice. I have an appointment "ith ~fr .... " I fumbled with my plan­ner for several long seconds, tiJ ing to dig out the business card of my con­tact. The chasseurs glared at me pa­tiently the wholt· time. I felt likt~ a total schmuck. "Tipton," I fmally foWld it. "Mr. Tipton. The PR gu)."

One of the chasseurs spoke into a subvocal mike S<'t into his throat. "Enter," he answt•r·ed when my appointment was confirmed.

I walked through the doors and noticed chemi and metal detectors on either side. Cybertronic wasn't about to allow an annt•d visitor into their <'orporate headquarters. A lady with LED eyes greet<·d me. "Welcome to Cybt•rtronic, Mr. Hensle). Ms. Tipton "ill be down in a moment." M.~? CJ/z-oh. Ill ope she hadn't heard

me llzlking to tile f(uard.s. Cybertronie (rpes hat•e long memories-random acCe$s or otlleru·ise.

I nodded and sat, admiring the silver and glass lobby. They had tried to mak<' a sort of arboretum out of it­there "ere hanging plants and bub­bling fountains everywhere-but the atrnosphert> was still cold and distant. After a fe~ minutes, a lady stepped out of a silver wall across from me. I thought I was seeing a ghost at first, but it was just an executive elevator dt•verly hidden by a bolo-wall. Ms. Tipton \'I· Ore a straight white suit that accentuated her height, and her blond hair was done up in a tight bun. A chrome HUD cowred her eyes. In

By Shane Lacy Hensley

contt•xt ''ith her surroundings, Ms. Tipton was the most human looking person around. StiJI, the way she nalked, and the fact that not a single one of her hairs strayed from her bun, made me wondt"r if Cybertronic's robotics division was more advanced than the great unwashed masst•s had been led to believe.

'"I've verified )'our credentials." she said as ,.,e stepped through tht> holo­wall and entered t)}(' elevator. "I espe­cially enjoyed your Imperial series." She grinned at me then, referring to m) six month stint \\ith the good folks at lmperial-\\ho think Cybertronic is led by heretics. I guess Tipton nas arnusNI that I'd come to them next.

"Grt'at," I answered. "St•rgeant Sanduski will speak. with

~ou on Cybertronic's Security, War­fare and Intelligence division. \\ l}('n you're done, I'll answer any questions you have on Administration, Eco­nomit's and ~1anag<'ment."

I nodded appreciatively as she took me into a conference room. There \\as a glass table and eight tiny chairs. One of them held tht• massive body of a cyborg-another chasseur. This one had the rank of a sergt•ant, and looked as out of place in that tiny board room as a nepharite at a tt'a pat1y.

I took a seat across from the Jlt'r­vous soldier. Ms. Tipton sat at the far end of the table. She ~asn't about to lea\ c me alone "ith one of C)'bertro­nic's warriors. I guess she didn't feel Utey were up to parrying the some­times pointed questions of the press.

"Good afternoon, Sergeant Sandus­ki," I started the awkward conversa­tion. "I'm Shane Hensley with the Lunar Voice."

"I've read your background sheet.'' lie had a gruff voice tl1at match('d his brown crew cut, square jaw, and chis­eled features. Still, there was a slight tremble in his tone that told me he was as nervous about this inteniew as 1 was. I'm guessing our "chapero-

ne" was accoWltabh• for some of his anxiet). I wonden·d if she'd have his plugs pulled if he said somethin~ he wasn't supposed to.

I decided to put the guy at ease. "Oh, okay. I didn't know I had Oil<'," I smiled.

"l\.1ost don't." I wasn't sure if he meant most peo­

ple didn't have a background sheet, or most people didn't know they had one. I decided it didn't really matter right then and started in with a few warm-up questions. "Tell me Sergeant, how did you come to work for Cybertronic?"

Sanduski looked over to Tipton, maybe for approval. If she gave it, I saw no signal. "l dunno. I guess it was tht' Bauhaus Medal of Valor. I used to work for tltem. ~t) squad saw some Utick action at TranquilJity Base a few years back. Those of us \'tho survived got medals. The rest got shoved in a two-by-six box under the moon dust."

"And C~ bertronic offered you a position in S'\1 aften,ards?" I asked. As I'm sure you know. Cybertronic is known for hiring away the best the other megacorps ha"e to offer.

''Yeah. Somethin{!: like that." Again, he shot a suspicious look towards Tip­ton, but she remained as blank as a broken monitor. "Some of those that survhed weren't in \<'1')' good shape, if you know what I mean. Bauhaus has no ust' for a half a soldier, so Cybt•rtronic made them an offer they couldn't refuse. We didn't have to go, of <·ourse, but Wl' <·ould either lie in a hospital collecting pension or b('come a 'borg and get back into action." The serg<'ant pointed to his left half-his ma<·hine half. It had been angled away from me until that point, and it reminded me that this all-too-human soldier had a more nwchankal side. I was unexpectedly shocked to S<'C the cyborg half again, though. The chas­seurs that had greeted me at the gate were 'ery stiff and fonnal, as if the machine was in charge. Sergeant

Sanduskt was no dUI'erent tban the Imperial troopers I'd interviewed in the months before. I wonder lf the chasseurs have the abWty to desig­nate which part's in cantrol.

There's nothing like aklng. "I've read that Cybertronlca 101diers are often predictable due to battle routin­es and Internal pro8J'811l1D.lng. Yet you seem u human as me or ... " I point­ed reluctantly, "Ma. Tipton. Can you explain that to me, Serpent?"

Sanduski grimaced. "Tbat's mainly the cuirassiers. They're aiiiLilling machines. Predictable? Maybe. But the prediction Ia uaually dealll fOI' the JllllliiiiB ...

Ms. coughed then, perhaps a signal that Sanduski was stepping into the •classified" arena. "That's proprietary information. Alii can say is that Charlie is faster than me, but he can't recognize an ambush until the Lepon's on top of us." Sanduski stuck his thumb into the metal half of his face. It took me a minute to reali­ze what he was saying. He called hia cyborg half"Charlie." That verifted my assumption. The cbaaaeun reUed on the speed and efficiency of their cyberneticAl-which Sanduski actu­ally considered a separate entity-but theil' luJm~t9 Jide remained to inter­pret ... dllllii

rd gotteft • lot of lnfOl'IIIIIIOB alrea­dy, but there waa still one ..... tbtDs I bad to aak. "&qeant, ~-, l'lldieala, .... llated tlllll cdc te iP ._.. !i.lftt the Dl!ll:k·

What is your reaction to that?" I guess my point-blank question

jarred something. He didn't bother to glance at Tipton this time. "You tell that to the chasseurs lying dead in the shadows ofVeravia-7! I've lost a lot of good friends fighting necros! I'd like to know why I've gotta dodge their bullets if they're supposed to be on my side!"

I backed down. Even if Cybertronic really was in league with the bad guys, Sanduski didn't know about it. Still, I had to ask. And his emotional outburst reaffirmed that his human side was still in charge.

"Tell me what you can about the cuirassiers," I said to calm him down.

"The cuirassiers get all the credit, but it's easy to be brave when your skin's annored to the nines." The ser­geant pointed at the left half of his

,, Face of a Faceless Entity

face. "See this? That's all that's left of my real face, son. The other half got blown ofT by a necro. Damn cuirassier takes a hit to the chops, he just welds on a new one. Me? I get to bleed and scream 'til some chop-doc covers my skull with this ugly mug. Don't get me wrong, the cuirassiers are the chas­seurs' best friend. It just gets to us when the press drools all over 'em and forgets about the rest of us."

I took the hint. "What about joint military operations with the Cartel? Have you worked alongside troops from the other megacorps?"

"Sure. The boys and girls from Bau­haus are fun to play with. But Cyber­tronic troops are the best at recon, stealth, surveillance and that kind of thing, so we tend to work alone more often. Who else can jack a camera into his eye? Or fold out an ear to jnr)'-rig a directional mike? Let's see one of those whiners at Mishima innJ­trate a nepbarite stronghold without gettiJa8 caushL"

I nodded and pretended to jot down some more notes. I had managed to calm Sanduski down. It was time to rutile Ms. Tipton's feathers. I turned toherauddenly, hoping to draw her into tbe conversation before she could prepare stock answers. "What about simllarities between Cybertro­nic's cyberware and artifacts of Dark technology, Ms. Tipton? Certain members of the Brotherhood believe

this proves Cybertronic's ties to the Legion."

My npid-fll'e questions didn't even make the PR lady blink. At least, I don't think so-it was impossible to see her eyes through the chrome band of her HUD. "Cybertronic's R&D department carefully scrutinizes tech­nology taken from the Dark Legion. We cannot claim to understand how Darkcraft works-yet-but their func­tions are often duplicated into tools our employees can use apinst them."

I could've round the--.. wu on one of Cybertronic's company brochures.

"As for heretics, any conglomeration the size of Cybertronic is Ukely 10 have a few. But you know as well as I that the Brotherhood has, as yet, found no trace of the Dark Symmetry within our ranks. Our personnel department hires only the best. And that's from the top down, mind you, executives to soldiers like Sergeant Sandusk.i."

•So how did you come to work for Cybertronic?" I smiled.

"I helped Mishima overcome nega­tive publicity concerning the assassi­nation of Counselor Yotama. Cyber­tronic noticed my excellent manage­ment of a potentially devastating situ­ation." Modesty is not one of Ms. Tip­ton's strong points. But she was right. The Yotama debacle should have given the press wet dreams, but not-

The CQber in the Street Seems that there's two types of Cybers: the grunts (who are all the same for all intents and pur­poses), and the top dogs (none of whom are all that alike). Here's a few profiles of each. (Wei~ really only one of the grunts. The others would be just as dull.)

..... llllllrooll ,...._1: Secretary at ETP's Luna offices. ......._.Needlepoint, listening to the radio, watching television. Turn OM: None. TuriHtffL None. Uf..tJie: Sedate. Works 40 hours a week. Works out 10 hours a week on Cybertronlc:'s ~ schedule. Attends only Cyber· tronk social events . .....,Statu.: Single.

bing ever came of it. Someone leaked a bigger story instead, something about an affair between security exe­cutives at Capitol and Imperial. Unless I miss my guess, Ms. Tipton was the one that leaked that story.

Time to change U1e subject again. It was obvious Ms. Tipton wasn't thril­led with personal questions. "Okay. So tell me about your relations with the Brotherhood. What's your reac­tion to their constant criticism?"

Tipton answered again. "Cybertron­ic fully supports the Brotherhood in all its operations against the Dark Legion. We must understand that those who confront such evil on a daily basis are likely to sense treachery even where there is none. Our corpo­ration understands the trials these

,, Face of a Faceless Entity

brave men and women must face, and are willing to forgive their· occa­sional slights."

Right. I lad she practiced that answer or what?

.. One allegation of your critics is that Cybt>rtronic's miraculous emer­sence could only have occun-ed with tbe aid of the Dark powers. How do you respond to that?"

.. That is a ridiculous rumor started by our competitors. Cybertronk for­CPS havt> worked with the Cartel and the Brotht>rhood against the Dark Legion since our inception. A heretic has never been uncovt>red within our ranks."

"Then '"hat is the secret to the cor­poration's O\ernight succc.>ss?" I pres­sed.

"Cybertronic's great secret is that thc.>re is no secret. I wish I ('Ould tell you somt>thing more c.>xdting, but the simple truth of the matter Is that our directors saw an opportunity and grasped it. Our success has been a surprise even to the creators.

I noddt>d. There was nothing new here. "Okay, let's talk about some­thing else for a while. I believe you promised me an interview with one of the subreality security hackers, Ms. Tipton."

"So I did," she said. Lydia Tipton pressed a button on the table. A man walked in less than a minute later.

The hackt>r was young, thin, and bald with several gleaming jacks screwed into his skull. Two of these had \\ires hanging from them but the

third was open. He wore a visor much like Lydia Tipton's except that it was a metallic violet.

"This is Security Officer lmpax, Mr. Hensley. He should be able to answer all of your questions about Cyber­tronic's network." Tipton turned to Sanduski and dismissed him coldly. The chasseur grumbled something under his breath and len the room .

I nodded a "good-bye" and smiled politely at Mr. lrnpax. The hacker didn't return my St>ntiments. He just grinned and turned his head askew, as if the viewscreens of his visor were far more interesting than some brown-nosing reporter. "So tell me about Cybertronic's network, Mr. lmpax."

"Impact," he said in a distracted, nasal voice.

"Pardon?" "I go by Impact on the network,

norm." I thought he had called me "Norm,"

as in "Norman," at first. Then I reali­zed it was probably netspeak for someone not jacked into subreality. I wasn't as "unhip" as "Impact" thought. "Okay, Impact. Tell me about subreality."

"You gotta' live it, man," he whined. This guy was way out U1ere. "Jackin' in to the net is like talking to the Light itself. It's like flyin' through the Lunar mountains without a suit. You just catdl the ether and glide like a bird, man. Like a freakin' bird!"

I was in shock. Everyone I'd ever met at Cybertronic was stilT-like a

Mike Wlrlston '-~don: Junior VP at ETP's Heimburg offices. ~Windsurfing, skating, skiing. acting. Twn-ons: Hot days, cool nights, walks on the beach, beautiful women, quality wine. Turn-offs: Close-minded Imperi­als, low-ranking Missionaries. ut.style: Active. Works 60 hours a week. Exercises 15 hours a week. mostly on the weekends and in the wild. Is often seen in all the best places to be seen. Mlwltal Status: Married (fourth time).

machine. This guy was wilder than a necromutant with a ticker.

Ms. Tipton must've noticed my con­fusion. "Our security people, like most of Cybertronic's starr, are re­cruited from the very best hackers on Luna. l\.1r.lrnpax was apprehended

Cybernet Growth Number of Non-Cybers on the Cybernet

I

Before Cybertronic, computers w together for fear of corruption

Soon after the Founding Day, tho rent that the new kids on the bloc their toys together. Due to the inc needed to fully interface with sub adding machines was entirely imm espionage and other mysterious p plagued previous attempts to inte corporation's offices electronically

ere rarely linked from outside sources.

ugh, it became appa-k weren't afraid to link redible technology reality, this network of une to the kind of roblems that had rconnect a mega-

net (as it came to be Once the existence of the Cyber known) became general knowled of time before people started tryi the Cybernet has recently transfo hobby, although the only megaco seriously has been Cybertronic.

ge, it was only a matter ng to hack it. Cruising rmed into a legitimate rp to take subreality

50000

I 40000

1/ 30000

I 20000

I ,-, 10000 v [V 0/ / 140 105 70 35 T

Founding years Day ago

,, Face of a Faceless Entity

while ele-ctronically embezzling funds from one of our subsidiary banking trusts. Our Security team offe-red him a choice between incarceration and a caret-r."

"So you trust a criminal to monitor your company's vast network?" "~o. man," Impact cut in. "Trust?

"o \\il). Somebody's always watchin' you in sub-ree. But I wouldn't cross 'em now, anyway. Y'know? Sub-ree is freakin' fantastic! You think I'd risk ge-ttin' cut off from my fix? No way, norm -o! 1\ot this ether-man. I'm on a tight circuit to ~irvana, brother."

I pulled my jaw up off the floor, shook my ht-ad, and continut-d. I hadn't expected anything like this. "So ~ive me somt- hard information,

----------------~--~ geta two conflicting instruct1ons. Her stock mawer didn't sit well with lmpact'a admission.

"''ve ~ IM'e-n summoned to an important llleeting," Tipton suddenly said. "I'm aJNkll'm .....,._...veto conclude this inter91ew."Tiiere'a a flicker frem the inside of her HUD glasses, but I'm be~ that wh•la uer message just popped up there told her to get rid of me quick.

''No problem," I answered. I stood up and stuffed my~ thmy satchf"l. Impa: wa back and fortb like 1 something on the ilukllf-.QIII. ... HUD. These people ...... p1 ...... communication down 10 aa art r.m.

Impa<·t. Is subreality really like cyber- Interlude spact•? We've all read virtual re-ality fiction. Is Cybertronic's network That should give you an idea ofwbat really that advanced?" kind of people work at Cybertronic.

"Y<'ah, baby. Don't you doubt it. No All of them seem fanatically loyal to helmet, no funk) sensor gloves-just the corp, and to their individual pure VR. Sub-fte sucks in your con- departments especially. It seems sciousness and twists it into whatever strange that they lacked a similar loy-you want. ~lost Cyb's look just like alty to their previous employers. I they do here in the HQ. Booooor-ing. hadn't expected any of them to say Security cuts loose though, man. I'm a anything new, but I had hoped rd big superhero called Impact in sub- learn more from the way they said ree. • something than their actual words

Tipton interrupted once again. It might otherwise reveal. I was right. was obvious she \\as unt'omfortable Tipton lost control when Impax did, around this decid<'dly non-corporate almost like a glitch in a computer hacker. "The network is indeed in program will set otT a chain re~ \ irtual reality, though as you know of progressively geater crasbea-l\e rall it 'subreality.' All CybertronJc the whole system locks up. 'lbe:nfaa executives are able to link into a ter- bnportantlesson to be learned there, rninal and conduct our busineu iD kiddies. this virtual world. This allows ua to At any rate, I was writing up the t'ommunicate wilh the various com- interview when I got a call from a panies that fonn the Cybertronic ~ well-known "information broker," glome ration." ,~, ..... ,.!'~.::Freddie the RaL Freddie lives in a

'"Sounds like the network ~es you w-rent slum only a few bloc.U._ a real advantage over the competi- our offices here at The Lunar Voice. 1 lion. Was its creation one of the rea- thought he was hard-up for cash sons Cybertronic gre\\ so quickly?" when hf" told me a chasseur had been

Tipton nodded but didn't offer any fired from Cybertronic and was living further details. in his building. It was an amazing

"Okay, so what about the rumors coincidence, getting such a lucky that thf" network has been invaded by break just as I was writing this article. the Dark Lt>gion?" Now maybe I'd get a candid view .into

Tipton started to answer but Impact the workings of this mysterious <'Ul her off ... Oh, yeah, man! I've seen megacorp. things creepin' arow1d in there that you wouldn't be- "

.. There is no e\idence to support that!" Tipton interrupted. It was like watching a computer crash when it

The Kicker Atasha Nance is going through a dim­cult time. You see, she's just lost her

fl!ll!lll... . •.

job with one or the lll08t powerful organizations in the known universe. She's short and stocky with raven­black hair, brown eyes md half a body made or blue metaL The left half Is sweet, the rllbt Ia dedf. She is an angel fallen trom sraee with Cyber­tronic-a chasseur.

I went to Atasha's ramshackle ap811meJlt and .knocked softly on the warped doer. •• me in and nod­ded eagerty ,.._ ftDid her I was with tbe Volett. ........ a lady with a ~..'!..,~ ~)' 7 jWid ~ainst a ·-11111fwl•i4•oaacrate aud reded...,. .........

"How did you loee ,.,._. .,.,.._ in the chasseurs?" I said with all my journalistic tact .

Atasba looked away, aa if she were calllq upon her cybors mind to

__ " _____ _

,.._·:·_ ...........

,, Face of a Faceless Entity ~--------------~

recall her anS\\CJ'. "The mindwipe didn't takt•,'' she answered.

"Mindwipt•?'' I asked excitedly. Was this proof that Cybertronic braimvas­hed its employees?

"Yes. All rt•cmits are mindwiped for one year. You can 'buy' back your memories aner that if you wanL"

IIOh," I sighed. That was news, but nothing that would really kick off my new series.

"ChasSt'urs are taken from the near-dead or the mutilated," Atasha continued with glazed eyes. She was obviously remembering whatever disaster had brought her to this fate. .. I was a pilot for Imperial. I flew a Barracuda support cran." She looked at me strangely, maybe trying to fig­ure out if I would believe what she "·as about to tell me ... Cybertronic Doomtroopers "ere moving in on a nepharite stronghold on Segornia. an asteroid near Victoria. My mission was to makt• sure the Dark Legion won that battle. I did it, but a Razidc managed to bring down my Barracu­da. The necros didn't leave much for the rescue learn to find.''

I scribbled furiously. This was a conspirac) that could call for inter­vention by Cardinal Dominic himself! Some people thought Cybertronic was in league with the Dark Legion, but here was someone who could tes­tify that it was Imperial who was help­ing out the necros. Even better, Victo­ria was one of the main Imperial holdings. I had a cam-crew there when the battle of Segornia took place! I t•ould taste the !\eo-Pulitzer!

Atasha continued when she saw I'd caught up. "Imperial fixed me up and ga,-e me a pension. but Cybertrouic 'bought' my comatose remains and stuck me in this chassis." She pointed to her metallic body. "Cybertronic usually wipes the mind of its new recntits. Mine didn't take. Memories of who I was and what I'd done kept surfacing. I flashed during a training exercise and wasted a squad of our own chasseurs. I was relieved of all rank, but Cybertronic didn't want to lock me away when they found out why. I guess they figured it was Imperial's fault, not mine. So I became a freelancer."

I was practically drooling now. "So Cybertronic never told the Brother­hood about Imperial's treachery?"

"l\o," Atasha shook her head. "Since they bad tampered with my mind, there was no way to prove that my memories weren't simply implants."

This was fantastic! Maybe Cyber­tronic had to worry about proof, but I was \\ith the press! I could say what­ever I wanted.

"Thanks, Atasha," I shook her heavy metal hand awkwardly. "I'm going to go sell this to the Voice. I'll bring you back half tht> money, okay?" Hey, don't think l'm an idiot. Giving Atasha half the Voice's ft>e was nothing. I'd make ten times that in "exclusive" interviews ''hen the story broke. In the meantime, this would make sure my informant didn't starve to death.

Atasha nodded her thanks as I ran from the room. I skipped down the stairs, bolted into the stret>t, and caught a hover-taxi back to the offi­ces of The Lunar Voice. I sat up all night, typing this story and thinking of all the laurels my associates in the press corp would hang around my deserving neck.

When the whole mess \\as finished, I crasht>d on my couch and sipped on a cup of coffee. The sw1 was just coming up, and the chicf"ould be in in an hour. I couldn't slt't'P anyway, so I called up the file tape our <'am­crt-w had shot after tht> battle of Segomia.

\\hat I saw made me spill steaming ja\a all over myself. You can check out my singed chest hairs if)OU don't belie'e me.

The footage showed Imperial's Clan Paladine hauling in a mined transporL It had taken a hit in deep space and decompressed. The dans­folk inside were dead, but tht• pilots had been wearing vacc-suits and were still alive. One of Utem was a young woman who looked familiar. I told the groove tube to zoom in. The name "~ance" was clearly stenciled on one of the pilot's shoulders.

Atasha hadn't flown a BaiTacuda that day. She had flown a transporL

\ Dodor a.on.d M•lltJk ~Engineer at EDA ll.e.r.ts: Work. work. work­and chess. Turn-onl: Chess. redheads. anyt­hing intellectually challenging. ~ Ingratitude. disturban­ces. Ufeftyle: Physically sedate. men­tally active. Works 50+ hours a week. Struggles to work out 10 hours a week on Cybertronic's mandatory schedule. Is reasonably sociable and really enjoys Cyber­tronic's regular think tank conven­tions. Mal ... St..tul: Married-to his job.

I thought ba<'k. to what she had said . .. There u•as no way to prove that my memories ll'eren 't simply implants." Cybertronic had implanted memories in her. I hope you get what I'm telling you, l.unar reader. 1\ty inten;ew with Ms. Tipton went so well she thought she'd throw in a public-relations bonus. Atasha was given these false memories and tur­ned loose so a loud-mouthed reporter like me would leak nasty rumors about Imperial. I'd been set up.

Does that put Cybertronic in league with the Dark Legion? No, it's just good business. But I'm sWllooking. This ro,ing reporter isn't done yet, friends.

This week's moral: Don't belie,·e evel)1hing you read. Even if it's in the Lunar Voice.

Hfter checking out the rest of this magazine, I'm sure some ofyou have decided that you'd like to sign

up with the hottest up-and-coming megacorp around. For all you drone wannabes, I have one piece of advice: forget it.

By now you should have figured it out for yourself, but for the less men­tally gifted amongst you, I'll spell it out in big bold letters:

CYBERTRONIC DOESN'T TAKE JOB APPLICATIONS.

Face it, folks, this corp's got one of the most suc<·essful intelligence oper­ations around. They make it their business to know your business. lf you're someone that U1ey'd like to have on their team, they'll contact you. But don't hold your breath.

Don't go away disappointed, though. If you really want to sign up with the chromed kids, I'Ye got a few suggestions for you.

1) Be the best that you can be. Ask anyone. From their top executi\·es to their janitorial staff, Cybertronic only hires the best. I kJ1o'' for some of

you, getting an offer from Cybertronic is simply a prestige thing. That's why you can always see some Bauhausers crying in their beer about why Cyber­tronic has yet to approach them. Most of these people will tell you they're too loyal to ever leave their current corp, but if they really want an offer, they're making a mistake by saying that.

2) Want the job. If you only want tlle job offer to satisfy your ego, forget it. It'll never come. No one has ever turned down a Cybertronic job offer, despite some patllologicalliars' claims to the contrary. (Feel free to tell your buddy who says he's had several offers from Cybertronic that he's full of it. If he can come up with incontrovertible proof to back up his claim, I'll be happy to plaster his pic­ture all across tlle Voice.) There could be a number of reasons for Utis, but the truth of tlle matter is undeniable. Who knows, though? Maybe the rea­son nobody ever turns the Cybers down is due to some mind control device, but if you want the job, they

won't need to waste it on you any­ho\'li.

3) Go MIA. You might be surprised at the number of Cybertronic employ­ees tllat were declared missing in action (by another megacorp) that turn up a few years later under the auspices of the HQ. This is a pretty drastic approach, though, as many more (try several orders of magnitu­de more) MIAs never turn up at all. That's why they're "missing."

If none of this works for you, I'm sorry, but you're just going to have to plug along at your old job in the dim hopes that you might have some stroke of brilliance that brings you to Cybertronic's attention. Or maybe your company will be bought up by a Cybertronic holding company. Then someday later, maybe even years from now, you'll end up part of tlle latest batch of Cyber-drones, wonder­ing how it all happened to you.

Let's put it this way: It's not up to you. If it happens, make the most of it. If not, c'est Ia vie. Enjoy your free­dom while you can.

The Voice's Last Call By Walter Wilberg

Dear Lunar Voice Readers: Permit me to introduce myself. My name is Walter

Wilberg, and I am a Vice President of Cybertronic's Virgo division. I am pleased to announce that, due mostly to Mr. Quigley's efforts to publish this issue of The Lunar Voice, Cybertronic has decided to announce that we have purchased this magazine from Mr. Quigley in its entirety.

As editor and grandson of this august publication's foun­der, Mr. Quigley is a vital part of this magazine's identity. Were it not for him, it would be a different magazine entirely. As such, we have made arrangements with Mr. Quigley to keep him on as editor of the magazine for as long as he should like to remain in that post. We at Cyber­tronic are looking forward to a long and prosperous relationship with Mr. Quigley, and we have been assured that he feels the same.

How will this affect the magazine's content? Not at all. This very issue, for instance, which focuses on Cybertronic has not been altered in the slightest. Each of the articles has been published exactly as submitted by the author, with only small changes being made to adjust improper grammar or spellings.

As many of you are already aware from Mr. Quigley's famous editorial rantings, it has become increasingly diffi­cult for an independently published magazine to remain financially viable in today's competitive market. His arrangement with Cybertronic will soon allow The Lunar Voice to go to a slick full-color format, the sort that is almost a prerequisite for attracting new readers these days.

Let me assure you once again that with Mr. Quigley still firmly at the Voice's helm, this will still remain a wholly unbiased source for all of your news needs. As Mr. Quigley pointed out in an article in this very issue, the Voice is the favorite magazine of many Cybertronic employees, and we felt that we could not let this voice in the wilderness fade away.

We at Cybertronic and The Lunar Voice look forward to your continued support. Thank you very much.

Sincerely, WALTER WILBERG VP of Public Relations Cybertronic Corporation

For response time, rate of perpetrator capture and property recovery, and percentage of clients safely rescued from dangerous situations, Cybercurity simply can't be beat.

We have an exclusive number of security contracts available now for a limited time. Cybercurity might be a bit more expensive, but what price would you place on your life?

Contact your local Cybercurity post and apply now for Cybertronic­quality protection. You won't regret it.

J ust as Cybertronic differs from the other megacorporations, so do Cybers (as those who

work for the newest megacorp are known) differ from the rest of humanity. They are intriguing char­acters, shrouded in mystery, and often their origins are as misunderstood as their motivations.

Since the Founding Day, Cybers have taken the human worlds by storm, and wherever they have gone, it seems that controversy has followed. They are a secret society with a public face made of silicon and chrome, impenetrable by those who do not share their high-tech means.

Rumors abound about these people. They are minions of the Dark Soul, a new and sinister part of the Dark Legion dedicated to fostering decay within the very heart of humankind. They are heartless auto-

matons, brainwashed buffoons doing the bidding of their all-too human masters on the Board. They are a small cadre of people that rarely venture forth from the fortified walls of the HQ. They are everywhere­maybe someone in your family has already gone over to their side. They are out to destroy us all.

No one on the outside of the company has ever managed to glean the truth of the matter, although there is a great deal of doubt that they would be able to recognize such a truth should they ever happen to somehow unearth it. Potentially more sinister yet is the fact that very few people who work for Cyber­tronic are any more enlightened than those on the outside. This hardly matters to the Cybers, though, as few of them are ever curious enough to question their good fortune.

Life as a Cyber is a blessed one. Cybers are treated better than the members of any other megacorp, and much better than those that live outside the mega­corps' purview. They eat well, and they have many comforts. They are protected by the best security in the system, and neither the Dark Legion nor the Brotherhood hold any fear for them.

It is the dream of many people to someday be­come a Cyber. After all, to be a member of Cyber­tronic is to be acknowledged as being among the

best there is at what you do. Cybertronic is no­toriously picky about the kind of people they recruit, and the benefits are obvious.

Others dread such a thing. They have heard the tales of how people who have disappeared have resurfaced later in Cybertronic's ranks, "vibrant shad­ows" of the people that they once were.

Either way you feel, if you end up playing a Cyber­tronic character, always keep one thing in mind: Get used to being in the dark!

GET,TING STARTED

Creating a Cybertronic character is different than devising any other sort. The main reason for this is that, when it's all said and done, the player still knows very little about the character. Most of the information that's known about the character is kept secret by the GM, doled out in increments to the player only as needed.

If you still want to create a Cybertronic character, you're going to have to ask your GM for help. He or she is going to be as involved in this process as you are-maybe even more so. Read over the material below and think about your new character before you ask for your GM's help. Playing a Cybertronic character is definitely not for everbody. It can be rewarding and a lot of fun, but you have to give up a certain degree of control in exchange for your char­acter's power (if it has any!).

To create a Cyber, you must go through the following steps:

1. Choose whether you want to be a VAC or a TIFF.

2. Choose your Pillar (RDM, AEM or SWI).

3. Generate your basic capabilities.

4 . Roll 3 times on the Cybertronic Events Table. (These are your adolescence events.)

5. Roll 1d20+ 16. This is your age.

6. Divide your age by two (round down). Roll that many times on the Cybertronic Events Table. (These are your special events.)

7. Generate your skill picks on the Cyber Skills Table.

8. Determine which cybernetics (if any) you have.

AREI YOU UP TO IT?

There are two ways to join Cybertronic. You either have to be killed and resurrected, or you have to be recruited and brainwashed. Either way, your past is wiped clean from your mind. A new Cyber has no past to remember, which is just fine, since he or she is going to be spending a lot of time getting used to the new Cybertronic life.

This doesn't mean that your past won't come back to haunt you at some point, though. It's just that you may not recognize it when it does, especial­ly at first.

There are basically two types ofCybers: VACs and TIFFs.

VACS VACs are the drones of the company, if Cybertronic can be said to have such people in their ranks. To people on the outside, VACs seem like brainless cogs with little to ever think about. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

True, the life of a VAC is usually far from exciting, but it's not meant to be. VACs are the people that get things done at Cybertronic. They do all the general labor that doesn't require a terrible amount of crea­tivity or insight, and they do it well.

Most players aren't going to want to be VACs. In general, they're not too cool, and they don't have too many reasons to involve themselves in the kind of adventures that players usually like. There are exceptions to the rule, though. Some players might find it challenging and fun to play a VAC from SWI that somehow gets caught up unwittingly in the middle of an intercorporate intrigue.

TIFFS TIFFs are the top guns of Cybertronic. While the VACs might be the people that do the day-to-day stuff, it's the TIFFs that really make the megacorp shine. As a TIFF, you're outfitted with the latest cybergear, compliments of the company, and you're pretty much given your head on most of the p rojects you're working on. Cybertronic has a lot of faith in human ingenuity, and they prize their top people above all else.

Most players are going to want to be TIFFs. They are on the top of the Cybertronic world. They get the most respect and have the most fun, but they also are frequently in the most danger. If you like life on the edge of your chosen profession, though, you can hardly find a better position for yourself.

CHOOSE, CHARACTER TYPE

If you still want to play a Cyber, there are two ways to go about generating a character for yourself. VACs use the standard type of character generation found in the Muranr Chronicles RPG. TIFFs use the new rules found in this book.

GETTING IN Don't bother asking a new Cybertronic TIFF about how to get in to the company. He or she won't know. TIFFs simply wake up one day working for Cybertro· nic, their memories of their past entirely erased. Their memories will be returned to them in one year if they wish, but for the moment, they are entirely in the dark as to who they might once have been. After the first year is up, the character has the option to learn about the past and attempt to integrate the new life with the old. This can be a painful experien­ce and can lead to all sorts of roleplaying opportuni­ties.

In game terms, this means that a TIFF must be rol· led up from scratch. Creating a Cybertronic character is a 5-step process outlined below.

First, you must decide what kind of character you want to play: whether you're a VAC or a TIFF and

what pillar your character works in. Each type of character is described here.

ROM VAC VACs in the Research, Development and Manufactu­ring division hold a vast variety of jobs. They are the people that do all the grunt work that a company needs. They are laborers, clerks, assistants, lab ana­lysts, secretaries, mechanics, miners, farmers, couri­ers, cleaners, etc.

ROM TIFF These Cybers are some of the most visible Cyber­tronic employees around. They are scientists, movie directors, journalists, designers, researchers, pop stars, inventors, artists, professors, sports stars, sur­geons, etc.

AEM VAC VACs in the Administration, Economics and Manage­ment division are the grease in the corporate machi­ne. They make sure that everything that gets done. They handle all the paperwork that keeps everything moving, and they make sure that everyone crosses

their ts and dots their is. They are office clerks, secretaries, accountants, bank clerks, archivists, librarians, middle managers, etc.

AEM TIFF AEM TIFFs are the brilliant minds behind Cyber­tronic's financial success. They are the people that actually manage to hold everything together. They often find themselves caught up in different sorts of corporate intrigue, and while they generally like to control things from behind a desk, there are times that they are compelled to take a more active hand. These people are actuaries, investment bankers, politicians, ambassadors, lawyers, managers, bro­kers, administrators, etc.

SWI VAC Those VACs that work for Security, Warfare and Intelligence are sometimes rightfully termed "can­non fodder." They are the men and women on the front lines of Cybertronic's vast defense network. Their lives are long periods of boredom (something that doesn't affect people on XLR8) punctuated by brief stints of intense activity. It's their job to keep their people safe, and they take that duty seriously. They are security guards, monitors, secretaries, clerks, enlisted soldiers, etc.

SWI TIFF TIFFs working for SWI have some of the most exci­ting jobs in the human worlds. They are responsible not only for Cybertronic's safety, but for its intelli­gence and counter-intelligence operations as well. Many players will want these kind of characters for the unparalleled opportunities for adventure that their occupations offer. They are police officers, mili· tary officers, federal agents, spies, counter-spies, security experts, private investigators, anti-Dark· Legion agents, moles, etc. SWI TIFFs are often chas· seurs, i.e., they have several powerful cybernetic implants.

CUIRASSIER These all-robotic characters are Cybertronic's last line of defense. They are the ultimate killing machines, and little outside ofthe Dark Legion can stand before them. If you like being able to knock aside opponents like cards while resting safely inside a nearly invul­nerable metal body, this kind of character may be for you. Life as a robot's not for everyone, though, as there are some severe drawbacks.

Cuirassier characters are a special case. They are not generated like other characters are. For more about playing a Cuirassier, see Cuirassiers below.

GENERATE STATISTICS

Since many Cybers have already led full lives before ~signing on" with their new megacorporate home, they demand a whole new means of generating their statistics. Instead of choosing how your character develops, you must randomly come up with a set of numbers that describes your character at the point that you're recruited into the Cybertronic fold.

CAPABILITIES If you're making up a VAC character, use the charac­ter generation system in the Mutant Chronicles RPG. There is one exception to this. Once you've assigned all of your basic capabilities, throw out your PER score and roll I d6 for that instead.

If you're creating a TIFF, find your Pillar on the table below and calculate your statistics according to the listing. Statistic STR PHY COR INT MST PER

ROM 3d6 3d6 3d6

1d6+14 1d6+14

3d6

AEM 3d6 3d6 3d6

2d6+8 1d6+ 14 1d6+ 14

SWI 2d6+ 8

2d4+ 12 1d6+14

3d6 1d6+14

3d6

Figure your combat statistics normally using these basic capabilities.

ADOLESCENCE EVENTS TIFFs roll three times on the Cybertronic Events Table. You'll notice that, unlike the standard events tables in the Mutant Chronicles RPG, this table lists only effects, not causes. Your own history is a myste· ry to you, although the present may sometimes give you clues to your past.

It's the GM's job to come up with reasons for the things that have affected you. These details can be­come important as you progress in Cybertronic. They could someday save (or maybe cost you) your life!

Each Cybertronic event marked with a bullet ( •) is unique. If you roll this event more than once, you should ignore that result and roll again.

SPECIAL EVENTS To determine your TIFF's age, roll ld20+ 16. For every two years over 16, roll once on the Cybertronic Events Table. These rolls represent things that hap­pened to you in your years in the work force before you were recruited by Cybertronic.

•

CYBERTRONIC EVENTS TABLE

2 • You have a computerized brain.

3 • Read your Actions/Round Value from the line below the normal one on the Combat Statistics

Table. 4 • You have had a bone job.

5 • Read your Defensive Bonus from the line below the normal one on the Combat Statistics

Table. 6 • Raise your MST to 18 if it is lower.

7 Subtract -2 from your PER.

8 You have a cybernetic arm. (Can only get this twice.)

9 • You have cybernetic legs.

1 0 Add + 2 to your MST and -2 to your PER.

11 Add + 2 to your Brawling SV.

1 2 Add + 2 to your Rifles SV.

1 3 Add + 1 to your Social SV.

14 • Raise your INT to 12 if it is lower.

15 • Raise your INT to 10 if it is lower.

1 6 Add + 1 to your Computer SV.

1 7 • You don't recognize your own face.

1 8 Add + 2 to your PER.

1 9 Add + 1 to your MST.

2 0 • Read your Perception Bonus from the line below the normal one on the Combat

Statistics Table.

21 • Read your Offensive Bonus from the line below the normal one on the Combat Sta­

tistics Table.

2 2 Take one free Perception skill pick.

2 3 Add + 1 to all Communications SVs.

24 Add + 1 to all Technical SVs.

2 5 Add + 1 to all Movement SVs.

2 6 Add + 1 to all Firearms SVs.

2 7 Add + 1 to all Combat SVs.

2 8 Add + 1 to your offensive bonus.

2 9 Add + 1 to your Perception and Avoid SVs.

3 0 Add + 1 to your MST and + 3 to your Inter­rogation SV.

31 Add .+1. to your PER and +2 to all Com­mumcattons SVs.

3 2 Add + 1 to your COR and + 2 to all Move­ment SVs.

3 3 You have a fresh patch of grafted skin on one of your limbs.

34 • Read your movement allowance values from the line below normal on the Combat

Statistics Table.

3 5 • Raise your PHY to 14 if it is lower.

3 6 Add + 1 to your BPs in each body part.

3 7 • Raise your STR to 12 if it is lower.

3 8 Take two free skill picks and add + 2 to all Technical SVs.

3 9 Add + 3 to any Basic Capability.

40 • Add four years to your age and + 2 to all your Basic Capabilities. Take two picks

from each field of expertise and four free picks.

SKILLS When generating a Cybertronic character, you don't usually get to pick what sort of skills you get. Instead, you must roll on the table below. Find what Pillar your character is in and then cross-reference that with every skill listed to find what you need to roll to figure the number of picks you have in that skill. Record the skill picks on your character sheet nor­mally.

CYBE~ SKILLS TABLE '1

Conning Jd4 ld6+4 ld6+4

Jd4

ld6+2 Sleight of Hand Jd6 Jd8 Wrestling Jd4+2 Stealth Jd4 IdS+ I Thrown Weapons Jd4+1 Agility ld6 Melee Weapons Jd4+2 Climbing Jd6 Parrying ld6+2 Aying Vehicles Jd8 Jd6 Firearms Ground Vehicles ld!O ld8 Handguns Jd4 Jd4+2 1d6+4 Rifles Jd4 1d6+2 Chemistry Jd6+4 Jd4 Light Automatics Jd4+4 Weapon Systems Jd4+4 ld4+2 Heavy Automatics ld6+2 Computers Jd6+4 Jd4+4 Jd4+4 Shoulder-launched Weapons - ld6+1 Electronics ld8+2 Jd4 Jd6 Grenade Launchers 1d6+1 Medicine ld!O ld6

Mechanics Jd8+1 Jd4 Administration Jd4 Jd6+4 Jd4 Cybernetics Jd6+4 Jd4+2 ld6+2 Oratory Jd4 1d6+4 Jd4 Subreality Jd6+4 ld8+2 ld8+2 Dealing 1d6 Jd6+4 Social Jd4 1d8+2 1d4 Avoid Jd6 Jd6 Jd6+4 Interrogation Jd4 Jd4+2 Jd6 Percept ion Jd6+4 Jd6+4 Jd6+4

CYBE~TRONIFICATION '1

TIFFs can join Cybertronic in one of two ways: they can walk in the front door, or they can be slipped in through a hatch in the back, feet first. Most com­monly, they are openly recruited. They still have their brains washed, though, and they must leave their past behind for one year.

The other way Cybers join up is by being killed. Cybertronic has amazing medical facilities, far more advanced than any others around. They can revive someone several days dead, provided there's enough of the victim's body left to work with. This is an expensive and painstaking process. though, so they're loathe to go through with it unless there are some obvious benefits for doing so.

Cybertronic only goes to the trouble of reviving people who would make great TIFFs for them. After all, VACs are relatively easy to come by. The kind of people that become TIFFs, though, are the creme de Ia creme of the human worlds. Cybertronic's not wil­ling to let a little thing like death get in the way of recruiting personnel of that quality. These TIFFs often have their faces surgically altered to prevent anyone from recognizing them on the street.

Some TIFFs are killed secretly, and others die openly. TIFFs that are killed secretly simply disap­pear. None of their former friends or coworkers know what happened to them. One day, they're there, and the next, they aren't. Sometimes they're killed by someone unaffiliated with Cybertronic, and other times. they're not.

TIFFs that are killed openly die in the public eye and actually have funerals in front of everyone who knows them-often open casket. After that, though,

instead of heading off to the crematorium, their bodies are snatched and brought to Cybertronic's revival center. The largest and most proficient of these centers is located deep in the basement be­neath the HQ in Luna.

BECOMING A CYBER VACs recruited by Cybertronic know all about their pasts. They are hired on by the Cybertronic person­nel department, started on XLR8 and assigned their new positions within the corporate structure. The drug ensures their loyalty and efficiency.

TIFFs simply wake up one day working for Cyber­tronic, their entire life a blank. They have no idea about their pasts, and no one is about to tell them, at least not until they've completed their first year of service. By that time, their loyalty to the corporation is unwavering, and they will continue to serve no matter what might be revealed to them.

IMPLANTS Each type ofCyber automatically gets certain types of cybernetic implants and has a chance to have a few others added on during recruitment. Others can be added later as the Cyber's occupation requires o r performance suggests.

Tables for members of each Pillar are shown below. Each shows the standard cybernetic implants (described as "Auto" under the roll column), plus lists the number a character needs to roll on I d20 in order to acquire any other possible implants. Make a separate roll for each implant

The Brotherhood points to the similarities be­tween cybertech and necrotech as one of the damning bits of evidence linking Cybertronic to the Dark Legi­on. In fact, much of the cybertech is modeled after necrotech. Cybertronic makes a point of capturing Dark Legionnaires and studying their necrotech. Cybertronic scientists then try to find ways to adapt the tech to use in humans treated with XLR8.

RoD 1-14

RoD Auto

1-10

1-3

1-2

1-6

1-5

1-4

1-7

1-6

RoD 1-14

1-4

RoD Auto

Auto

1-3

1-2

1-7

1-2

1-7

RoD 1-14

1-4

1-3

Auto

Auto

1-16

1-15

1-11

1-10

1-8

1-8

1-7

1-7

1-6

1-5

1-4

Implant Subreal receptors

Implant Subreal receptors

Subreallink

Artificial arm

Artificial legs

Artificial lungs

Artificial organs

Computerized brain

Corneal display

Ultraviolet retinas

Implant Subreal receptors

Cellular link

Implant Subreal receptors

Cellular link

Artificial arm

Artificial legs

Artificial organs

Computerized brain

Corneal display

Implant Subreal receptors

Cellular link

Subdermal armor

Implant Subreal receptors

Cellular link

Subreallink

Subdermal armor

Bone job

Corneal display

Infrared eyelids

Artificial arm

Ultraviolet retinas

Artificial organs

Artificial legs

Artificial lungs

Computerized brain

They have substituted XLR8 for Dark Symmetry to get the tech to take. and instead of the "alien" sub­stances used in necrotech, they use a special alloy (of both ceramics and metals) known as cybernium. Cyber­nium's composition is extremely complicated, and its manufacturing process is one of the most tightly held corporate secrets. It's also extremely difficult to make, and this limits the supply of cybertech available.

THE REAL BACKGROUND

T he GM now secretly determines who the TIFF was before joining Cybertronic. VACs are who

they are, and they have total recall of their pasts. A TIFF's background must be kept entirely secret

from the TIFF's player, at least until one year of sub­jective game time has gone by. At that point, the TIFF's background can be revealed if the player wants, but it by no means has to. Some Cybers like themselves just fine and figure that they're better off not knowing who they once were.

Alternatively, the GM can say that the TIFF was discovered dead in an alley, and Cybertronic has little idea who the person originally was. While this can be frustrating for a TIFF that's been waiting to find

,l' • ,_ ~~:-:--t' .. - _....., Roll (1d10) Roll (1d10) hsuJt 1-3 1-4 Bauhaus 5-6 5 Brotherhood 7-8 6-7 Capitol 9-10 8 Imperial 9 Mishima 10 None

Roll(ld10) 1-4

~ ' -... : ' ~'i~- • ~ ' ~ '. ~

..,.... ~ ~ ..... ~ -~ --5-6 7-8 9 10

Roll(1d10) ReluJt 1-3 Luna 4-5 Mars 6 Mercury 7-9 Venus 10 Asteroid Belt

If you have the appropriate megacorporate source­book, you can use the information therein to further clarify details about the character's past. For instan­ce, if you determine that the character is Imperial, you can then use the tables in the Imperial source­book to randomly determine the character's clan and family. This will tell you a lot more about the charac­ter than the tables here possibly could.

You should also feel free to develop full characters for each of the TIFF's direct relatives. These individ­uals can form starting points for all sorts of adven­tures or other ways to mess with the player's head.

out more about the past, it can also provide some excellent opportunities for adventures.

The method for generating a background that's described here uses tables and a fair amount of imag­ination on the GM's part to devise an interesting background. GMs should never feel compelled to use the tables if they have interesting ideas of their own for the TIFF, though. The tables are only here to help get those creative juices flowing.

The first step in developing a TIFF's background is to learn a little bit about the character's past. To do that, roll on the following tables. You can also use these to help figure out a VAC's background, although then the player should do the rolling, as that knowledge is not secret.

ltelult Both alive Father dead Mother dead Both dead

Result None One Two Three Four

Roll (1d10) 1-6 7-8 9

10

.. - _,_ - '--

Roll (1d10) 1-7

8 9-10

ltelult Single Married Married with I d4 children Single with Jd4 children

Result Recruited openly Killed secretly Killed openly

Another set of inspirations about the truth behind the character's past is based on the Cybertronic Events Table. The causes of the rolled results are left blanks, entirely open to the interpretation of the GM. This way, the players are unable to figure out their past by simply checking the tables.

Take a look at the events the TIFF has rolled for on the Cybertronic Event Table. Then try to figure out what could have caused such events. Work backward from the event tables in the Mutant Chronides RPG and the various sourcebooks if you like. These can always be sources of helpful inspiration.

C ybers can use any of the skill described in

the Mutant Chronides RPG, plus a few others that are unique to Cybertronic. Descriptions of these new skills follow.

Additionally, characters can secretly have skills available only to the corporation from which they originally hailed. This is entirely at the GM's dis­cretion. An ex-Capitol SWI TIFF, for example, might be expected to have the Com­mando Training or Silent Kil­ling skills. Because these aren't generally held skills, though, the player shouldn't be aware that the character has these skills until the TIFF gets into a situations where he or she might use the skill reflexively. For instance, if the ex-Capitol character above comes up behind a Heretic, the GM should check to see if the Heretic is killed silently.

TECHNICAL

CYBERNETICS BASICCAPABUIIY: INT This skill permits a character to operate cybernetic equipment. Combined with Medicine. the character can actually implant or remove cybernetics safely. Combined with Mechanics or Electronics. the charac­ter can make the appropriate type of repairs to cyber­netics.

Non-Cybers can have this skill as well, although they can't use it to implant cybernetics. This tech­nique requires working knowledge of XLR8. some­thing outsiders simply don't have (any claim Bauhaus might have about Ticker to the contrary).

SUBREALITY BASIC CAPABUIIY: INT With this skill, a character can navigate Cybertronic's information-based metaphorical construct known informally as subreality. On a successful skill test, a character can gather information about nearly any un­classified subject. More tightly held information can be reached, only with much higher difficulty levels.

To properly be able to use this skill , you must have subreal receptors or a subreal link. Non-Cybers and Cybers without the appropriate cybernetics can have this skill as well, but they always suffer a -5 modifica­tion to their SV. This is due to the fact that they can't fully access subreality without the proper equipment.

I fyou elect to play a Cuirassier, you've taken on a challenging role. You might think it's easy to

act the part of a killing machine, and in some ways, this is true. After all, standing invulnerable amidst a hail of gunfire while dealing death with horrific pre­cision can have its appeal. It's when you need to do other things that the charm quickly pales.

PARTNERS

All Cuirassiers are partnered up with a non-Cuiras· sier Cyber (preferably a player character) at all times. This partner can change from mission to mission or even moment to moment, but there must always be one. Without a partner, a Cuirassier is a machine

without a cause, as it is unable to initiate action on its own without direct orders.

Under certain situations, the Cuirassier's partner can be in a distant area, connected only to the machine by a cellular link. Also, if need be, the Cuirassier's current partner can hand otfthe Cuirassi· er to a non-Cyber, but such assignments have a maxi· mum limit of 24 hours unless approval comes down from the Board itself.

Without a partner, the Cuirassier automatically falls back on its emergency routine instructions. These are to secure the safety of any Cybers in the area and then to contact the nearest SWI outpost as quickly as possible. On Luna, for example, cellular link calls would be routed immediately to the HQ for an instant evaluation of the situation and subsequent

transmission of new orders. Often, these will be to fall back and rendezvous with a support team or to report in for debriefing if the mission's a bust.

FOLLOWING ORDERS Cuirassiers have only a limited amount of intelligen­ce. Like any other computer, they often don't do what you want them to do; they do what they're told to do. The Cuirassier's partner must be as careful as possible when giving the Cuirassier orders of any kind. The android always follows orders as close to the letter as possible, and this can have disastrous effects if not handled properly. Experienced partners are almost as valuable as a Cuirassier itself.

When a situation arises in which (in the GM's esti­mation) the Cuirassier could misinterpret an order, the Cuirassier's player should make a roll against its INT. If the roll succeeds, the Cuirassier has managed to alter its programming enough to know what it was its partner really wanted and to comply with those orders accordingly. Otherwise, the Cuirassier must follow its orders to the letter. If the player isn't willing to do this, the GM should temporarily take control of the character.

THE CORE Most people think of a Cuirassier as a powerful robot, nearly invulnerable to damage and capable of carrying the heaviest of weapons into combat. In fact, what people are seeing is just the Cuirassier's robot body.

In essence, a Cuirassier is a fairly advanced artificial intelligence housed in a virtually indestructible egg-shaped core about the size of a baseball. This core usually sits near the Cuirassier's well-armored sensor array (e.g., the head of an Attila). The core has a single infrared sensor for use as a data feed, and it can be activated by pushing a button on its rear side. Its shut-down code can only be activated by a coded infrared signal which can only be bro­adcast with special equipment, although a Chasseur with infrared eye­lids can do the job just fine.

This core can be fitted into bodies of all different sorts. The most popular are the Attilas, but there are others as well. The larger the body, the greater the demands on the core's intelligence, though, and the stupider it tends to be. A core inside a Mark I Attila is fairly smart and can alter its programming if need be. That same core inside an Erad­icator is taxed by the larger number of requirements the body has, and less processing power is left over for such niceties as reprogramming.

For this reason, powerful bodies are only given out to Cuirassiers with experienced partners. Otherwise, Cybertronic would be inordinately risk­ing having a Cuirassier run amok. The Board frowns on such things.

ROLEPLAYING A CUIRASSIER

Playing a Cuirassier can be a real challenge. They are emotionless, coldly logical and interpret orders lit­erally. Cuirassiers are programmed with a limited personality that makes it possible for them to func­tion with people, however poorly. Like most other computer interfaces, it has its good and bad points.

Cuirassier players must be careful to follow their orders literally and not just do what they want to. For instance, if you're told by your partner to guard a corridor, you will do so until you're told to leave. Of course, you can be reprogrammed by remote through a cellular link, but until you get new orders, you are bound to fulfill your old ones.

Smart partners will work with you to program all sorts of contingency orders into you before leaving for a mission. Write each order down and present these to the GM before the mission begins. Try to make your orders as specific as possible, leaving litt­le room for misinterpretation.

Be prepared for the GM to take you aside and explain how your orders are to be interpreted. Don't be surprised ifthe GM's interpretation doesn't exact­ly mesh with your own. That's okay. Play along as best you can and enjoy the ride. It's no fair changing your programming until a flaw in it has been exposed to your partner (and you can't directly alert your partner to these flaws either).

PROGRAMMING A CUIRASSIER

Between missions, a Cuirassier can actually repro· gram itself according to its partner's orders. In fact, with an JNT check, it can even suggest certain types of orders to its partner.

Cuirassiers have a limited number of program· ming slots that can be filled with skill picks. The number of slots is determined by the machine into which the Cuirassier is plugged. Many slots are hardwired in, e.g., how to walk, so you don't need to worry about things like that. You just have to fill in the blanks.

The higher the Attila's Mark, the more slots it has. A Mark I has 50 slots, a Mark II has 75, and a Mark Ill (also known as the Ultra) has 100. Each slot can be filled by a skill pick on a one-for-one basis. Communications skills cannot be chosen.

Additional programs can also be loaded in, like knowledge skills of a more or Jess unique nature suitable for a specific mission, e.g., Knowledge of Luna's Underground Tunnels. The most useful of these is a Limited Intelligence program. Faced with an option, the player can actually decide what to do rather than following orders literally. Each point of INT over what the Cuirassier comes with costs five slots.

Other bodies can be used as well, but these usu· ally have most of the Cuirassier's processing ability allocated to operating the body. For instance, a Cuirassier can be plugged into an Eradicator or a Sky Witch.

Before each mission, fill out a character sheet with the Cuirassier's latest programming. If you fail to do so, it's assumed that the Cuirassier's pro· gramming is the same as it was the last time it was programmed.

ATTILAS Attilas are covered with sythedermis to conceal their mechanical nature from a cursory examination. They are huge and always wear a dumb grin. Most people will just see them as moronic giants until they bother to check them out more thoroughly, but anyone who knows anyt· hing about them can spot one from a mile away, fake skin or not.

THE ERADICATORS Cuirassier players also have the option of using an Eradicator body. This is basically the same as using an Attila body, but a number of the slots are automa­tically taken up by combat skills using the Eradicato­r's built-in weaponry.

The problem with acquiring one of these bodies is that they are relatively rare, and you are going to have to come up with a really good reason for SWI to even consider letting you get your hands on one of these things. Eradicators are inappropriate for all but

the most combat-oriented missions. As large as they are, they cannot do any kind of undercover work at all. In fact, they can barely fit through most doors.

Eradicators don't bother with niceties like sythe­dermis. Their role is to strike fear into the hearts of those foolish enough to stand against them. They are two tons of etched silicon and stainless steel with a chrome finish that makes them fit in right next to the Mirrormen along which they usually enter combat.

0 ne of the things that makes Cybertron.ic ~o different from the other megacorps IS 1ts

technological wizardry. Nowhere is this so obvious as in the cybernetic implants found in the company's finest employees. A number of these are described below.

The GM should feel free to concoct new types of implants to fit the campaign. Dole these out to play­er and non-player characters as you like. just remem­ber that only Cybers are ever permitted to have such implants. Anyone else will eventually reject them.

ARTIFICIAL LIMBS Cybertronic prefers to go with organic replacements instead of machines (they get these from harvested bodies they deem unfit for resurrection), as organics tend to work better with less maintenance problems. If the user wants more power, a bone job can be per­formed. Still, some prostheses have found their way into use.

Artificial limbs add +5 to the user's STR when using that limb. For example, if the Cyber is punching someone with an artificial arm, add + 5 to the STR of that blow. This may actually increase the Cyber's OB

with that attack. Additionally, artificial legs allow the user to use the line below the normal when looking for the Cyber's Movement Allowance on the Combat Statistics Table.

ARTIFICIAL LUNGS Your lungs have been replaced with something more efficient. You can now hold your breath for up to 45 minutes. Your new lungs also contain microfilters that make you immune to gas.

ARTIFICIAL ORGANS You heart, stomach, intestines, liver and kidneys have been replaced with more efficient models. You are immune to poison, drugs, gas and disease. Also, add +5 to your PHY.

BONE JOB Pieces have been removed from the center of each of your long bones. The slack allows the muscles to be reattached closer to middle of bone for greater lever­age and power. This decreases your height by two or more inches, but increases your STR by +4.

CELL-LINK This is a built-in cellular phone link that allows the user to hold phone conversations with others. The speaker is built into the user's skull bones, and the speaker is attached inside the throat, so that the speaker can use subvocalizations to hold a conversa­tion with someone so quietly that nearby people can­not hear it.

COMPUTERIZED BRAIN This is the equivalent of a Cuirassier's core, except it's implanted in a human body. Only Chasseurs with the potential for becoming a Diamond (this should include most player characters) can be fitted with one. Basic­ally, part of the owner's brain is removed and replaced with a more efficient computer network. This com­puter can control the body's autonomous functions (heartbeat, histamine production, etc.) and can do a superior job of interpreting and identifying sensory data. For example, it can identify smells, determine ranges, identify silhouettes, use sound to "see" in total darkness (via synesthesia) and even be used to

listen to a heartbeat and analyze a voice for stress, thereby acting as a lie detector.

A computerized brain can hold a certain number (1d6+6) of skill picks in knowledge skills, just like a Cuirassier can. With a cellular link the computerized brain can get constant data updates, allowing the computer to access new skills when necessary. Of course, this means erasing others first to make room for the new data.

The computer can even take over and run the owner's body if necessary (e.g., if owner is uncon­scious), using all of the owner's skills as if the owner was awake. Communications skills cannot be used this way, and all other non-knowledge skills are at a -I penalty in addition to any penalties due to the wounds the character may have sustained. The computer can also initiate other emergency routines, like calling for help. It can even use the owner's senses without the owner being aware of it.

CORNEAL DISPLAY This improvement allows an onboard (i.e., implanted) system to use the owner's eye as a display screen that only the owner can read. Translucent green letters appear below the owner's line of vision and can show things like the time and date (which all of them do) or more sophisticated things like messages from a cellu­lar link or a computerized brain.

INFRARED EYELIDS The character has infrared sensors built into his or her eyelids. This allows the character to see in the dark (with dosed eyes) by picking up heat patterns. This is of limited use against creatures that are al­ready dead and are giving off no heat.

INTEGRATED ARMOR The standard annor worn by Cybers is made of a lightweight, yet durable steel polished to a high finish. It is still some of the heaviest material that can be worn, and the system gets hydraulic assistan­ce at several key points. While not really implanted in the user, this annor is listed here, because the owner controls the annor via subreal receptors.

The SWI TIFFs that use integrated armor are known as Mirrormen. Any such Cyber may be called upon to become a Mirrorman at any time, at the dis­cretion of his or her superiors. Most often, though, SWI TIFFs do not wear armor, and when they do, it's usually something purchased or lifted from another megacorp. Cybertronic prefers subterfuge to direct contact with hostiles.

Integrated armor offers an AV of 8 throughout the entire body, except for the head, which has an AV of 6. It also allows you to read AU of your com­bat statistics from the line below the normal one on the Combat Statistics Table.

---

LINKCOUCH This is a link to subreality, the consensual virtual real­ity metaphor that Cybertronic has set up as an access shell for its computer network. People with Brain­grease draw the images they see in subreal from their own brain. This is like programming images on the fly. UnMarked people (those without Brain-grease) must use nonnal sensory input to access subreal, so they're forced to use VR helmets and software packa­ges.

Only people equipped with subreal receptors can fully access subreal. For this reason, no one around has ever been able to break Cybertronic's security on their subreal-accessible systems. The Cybertronic defenders' links to the system are simply too fast.

No other corporations have systems nearly as advanced, so they rarely if ever bother with security programs to defend against subreal surfers. The only way for these systems to be accessed is via a trad­itional punch-card terminal or via a subreallink.

If you want to access protected data, you must make a successful check against your Subreality skill. If you fail, you're booted out of the system, and security is alerted to your presence. If you succeed, you get everything you're looking for. GMs should set difficulty levels based on the sensitivity of the materi­al being searched for.

SUBDERMAL ARMOR A special weave of ballistic nylon has been implanted directly below the Cyber's skin. This gives the charac­ter an AF of2 throughout the entire body.

SUBREAL L I NK This is a hidden fiber-optic cable attached to its owner's subreal receptors. (It's often hidden in a wis­dom tooth or a recessed area on the user's neck.) The link can be used to plug into computer networks and bypass security on normally shielded systems. In this way, the Cyber can tap into a non-Cybertronic com­puter system (or even a computer-controlled system), primitive as it might be by Cybertronic standards. For instance, a Cyber could take control of an Imperial security system if it could tap into it properly. Doing this requires a computer control console (e.g., a Link­Couch or a computerized brain).

SUBREAL RECEPTORS These are metallic plates implanted in the rear of the owner's skull. They allow use of a LinkCouch to go subreal (enter cyberspace). They're usually hidden beneath a layer of synthedennis and shielded with white noise generators to prevent unwanted feed­back. TIFFs can drop the shields and monitor un­shielded (non-Cybertronic) links, piggybacking on unsuspecting subreal surfers.

ULTRAVIOLET RETINAS These allow the user to see in the dark by looking into the ultraviolet end of the light spectrum. They give great night vision using ambient light from the sky (even at night), but they're useless indoors unless the character is using a UV flashlight. Outdoors, the owner can even read by starlight.

AUTOCAB ( A . K .A . HEADLESS HORSEMAN) This is an unstaffed cab, the like of which can be found all over Luna, but nowhere else (yet). They are automated cabs controlled from a central dispatch­er's office in the HQ. They are preferred over other cabs, as there is no chance that their drivers will try to rob their customers.

They are about two to three times more expen­sive, though, and it's hard for the average person to get one. Cybertronic employees always have prior­ity over all other potential customers. Top speed is 100 mph, although they can rarely get moving that fast due to traffic.

MOUSER ( A.K.A. FAMILIAR, THE CATINATOR)

The city of Luna is covered with rodents, and where there are rats, there are cats. Some of these cats are not exactly what they seem. They are, in fact, robotic facsimiles created by Cybertronic to act as their eyes and ears across human space. Few people bother to take no­tice of a stray cat wandering about, and Mousers-fully auto­mated pseudo-cats-take advan­tage of this to get into places human-sized spies never could. Some models have been created that can accept a Cuirassier as a pilot.

THE PARASLIDER ( A . K.A . HOVER BIKE, BUZZBIKE) This is a single-person craft that skates along on a cushion of air rather than a set of wheels. The system of fans is so complicated that it can only be operated by a Cuirassier. One is induded in each vehicle. To overcome the Cuirassier's tactical limitations (they can't be programmed to do everything), the hover bike is driven by a Chasseur attached directly to the craft by a subreallink. Hover bikes are usually armed with twin autocannons, one on each side of the craft.

Since hover bikes run on a cushion of air, they can generally avoid the effects of most terrain (except, of course, trees and other obstacles that rise from the ground). Also, they can pop up to heights of thirty feet for short periods oftime, enjoying all the advan­tages that height can bring. At that height, they are te rribly unwieldy (check against the driver's Flying Vehicles skill each round), so it is rare to see one in the air for long.

SHRIKE ( A . K.A . SKY EYE)

This is a small, flying spy plane designed to look like a medium-sized hawk circling high above Luna's streets. Cybertronic staffs them with Cuirassiers and uses them as spies. To date, none of the other mega­corps have discovered their existence. When they do, you can probably expect the skies of Luna to be purged of birds, at least until some other sort of countermeasure can be found.

The front wheel is a propeller, much like is found on the tail of a helicopter. Less particular bikers have been known to ride down their foes with the buzzing blades (Damage: ld6+7, make a skill check to retain control).

THE PARASLIDER Dimensions 11 ,·llc:t h I kd1t \\ tdth 1 ~ 111 1 til 1 111

Crew: ~: 1 utt ,\\,,,., .111<1 1 lt.'"''l''

Engines: It lh,·tll<·rks !.'IHI.

Max Speed: 1-'1 1 111ph I ' JO kttt it.

Action Radius: !1111 n11ln :211 ktll.

Combat Radius: IIHilllli"' 1r,o kttt

Payload: Armament: -' S'.\VI•IIIHI .tutn<.llllllllh

Armor: Chohh;~nt \ (.\\' h1. ()ttl\ .tppltn 111

.ltl.tlk\ llllllilhl' li<llll

SHRIKE Dimensions 11 <'llc;th I kt:.;ht \\ tdtht 1111 ll.2tll 1111

Crew: 1 lltll.t"-"''

Engines: I l\h,·t\ll'lb :ou. Max Speed: ..>on tllph i-'11 ktll h

Action Radius: I Oil tlltl,·s I(,() k1t1

Combat Radius: >o llnJ,., ;-;o ktll

Payload: -Armament: Armor: -·

THE ARMADILLO (A.K.A. HOVER TANK,

CU lSI NATOR) This hover tank, like the Paraslider, rides on a cushion of air. It is also piloted by a Cuirassier, but due to its greater weight, it is impossible for it to attain any height greater than about two feet off of the ground. Still, it can negotiate up to 45° grades with some ease. The hover tank employs a set of recoilless rifles and a recoilless cannon that runs directly through the center of the craft. To aim the gun, the cuirassier must turn the tank to directly face its target. Any­one caught under the Armadillo's blades will be shredded in seconds (Damage: 1d10+7). Thus the nickname the Cuisinator.

THE ARMADILLO

Dimensions II <'llC:l h I ktL:ll! \\ tdth 1 I I l111 i111 Stll

Crew: !: t lllt.t"'''' .111<1 t h,h\l'lll.

Engines: -l ( ,h,·rwc·tks -111111.

Max Speed: so 111ph 1 :o k111 h.

Action Radius: .'"'iO 1111ks .Jill) kill

Combat Radius: l"io 111tlc·, ~-111 kilt.

Payload: lip'" 111 '.\\ l''""l"'"

Armament: 1 111.111 \kL:.tlJi.hlL't "' tll.JIIt tutt ,.,

.' SS\V.J.21Hh. I oil,.,,, h '"lc-Annor: ( lwhh.ttll I \ 1.\\ 'Ji R<'lliiiiiLl'llllt tile' l1111ll

to:\\' 1-l.

SKY WITCH ( A . K .A . PINWHEEL OF

DOOM)

This is a small, light helicopter staffed by a Cuirassier. It totes a couple of heavy machine guns and a rack of missiles. It's used for mili­tary reconnaissance and quick raids. Although wonderful tools when used proper­ly (due to their fearless pilots and their nim­bleness), Sky Witches are notoriously dumb craft. They can do only what they are told to do, and they can often be confused by un­usual maneuvers.

RAVEN ( A . K .A . THE MIRRORED

MONSTER)

The Raven is a high-tech stealth bomber pilot­ed by a Chasseur/Cuirassier team. Weapons are deployed from retractable blisters that cover the bottom of the plane. It is easily visi­ble in the sky by the sun glinting off of its mir­rored carapace. Still, enemy anti-aircraft weapons have a hard time finding this target, making it one of of the most fearsome things in the sky.

STARLING ( A . K .A . THE CHROMEBIRD)

The Starling is the fighter version of the Raven. It's lighter and faster and is mostly used for reconnaissance. It can also be used as support for ground troops, but this is rarely done, as Cyber­tronic almost never enters open combat that would require such assistance. Still, some Starlings have been seen in service backing up other corporate forces in joint operations.

T his covers the numerous weapons manu­factured by Cybercurity that were not

described in the Mutant Chronicles RPG (or were not described in full).

T his is an adventure for a group of adventurers which includes at least one Cybertronic char­

acter, preferably more. In it, the heroes are charged with stopping a plot designed to thrust two of the megacorporations into an all-out war. Unl~ss they can do something to keep this from happenmg, hor­rific days are ahead for all concerned.

GETTING STARTED

Read through the entire adventure first, making notes as to how you're going to weave this adven­ture into your ongoing campaign (assuming that you have one, of course). When you're through, you need to figure out how to get your players involved in the story. Once you've done that, you're ready to play!

OVERVIEW A group of Heretics of Algeroth (known amongst themselves as the Children of Liberty) have concoc­ted a plot to embroil Cybertronic and Imperial in a full-out war. Imperial, always eager to launch itself into battle for a good cause, has been looking for a reason to open hostilities with Cybertronic for years. Unfortunately for them, Cybertronic has always managed to avoid such circumstance, usually by being too damn reasonable.

Imperial's hatred for Cybertronic is rooted in its deep animosity toward the Dark Legion and the Car-

dinal's unofficial insinuation that the two are certain­ly in league with each other. What Imperial often fails to see, despite the Cardinal's explicit pleas, is that squabbling with the other megacorps actually contri­butes to the cause of evil by weakening humanity's resolve to band together to face the dangers from beyond the Solar System's nebulous bounds.

Eager to exploit Imperial's headstrong attitude, a group of Heretics have taken it into their head to plot an assassination attempt against both the High Serene Leader and the Overlord Mishima. If they can kill these two powerful leaders and somehow pin responsibility for the deed on Cybertronic, there will no doubt be a call for war in both the Mishiman court and the Imperial Parliament, and arms will be imme­diately taken up against the reputed villains.

It's up to the heroes to learn just where, when and how the assassination is supposed to take place and then stop it.

FOR,M I NG A GROUP

As GM, it's up to you to come up with a prologue to this adventure, some way to get the heroes to join together for at least the duration of this scenario. Here are a few ideas:

THE ALL-CYBERTRONIC GROUP

If the heroes are all citizens of Cybertronic, then get­ting them to unite is simple. just have their immedia­te superiors direct them to meet with Max Waxton for a briefing. It goes something like this:

The characters are all called into Mr. Waxton's office in the HQ. The room is toward the top of the building, on one of the open ends of the C. The place is furnished all in chrome and black leather atop slate gray carpeting. A large desk dominates the end of the room facing out over Luna, and man sits in a high­backed, black leather, executive's chair, his back to the door, only the graying hair on the top of his head visible.

As the adventurers enter, the man's voice asks them to take a seat. There are enough stuffed leather chairs for each of them. Once they are ready, he lets them sweat for a second and then turns around.

Max Waxton is a handsome man, as are most who work for Cybertronic. Obviously on the far side of 50, he is still fit and trim. Cold blue eyes stare out from beneath his shaggy eyebrows as he examines each of the heroes in turn.

~People," he says dramatically, "we have a pro­blem."

Waxton is a VP in the IES, otherwise known as Cybercurity. You'd never know it from the crisply pressed chic chip he's wearing or the curl of a smile that usually plays at the corner of his lips. It's not there now.

Waxton presents the situation. Two days ago, Prosthos, Inc., a Cybertronic subsidiary that manufac­tures artificial limbs, was destroyed in a bombing. Initial evidence pointed toward Imperial terrorists, but further investigation has revealed that the true culprits were a coven of Heretics centered in the Capitolian sector of Luna.

Cybertronic has learned that the leader of this coven, women known only as Pervertia, is known to hang out at Mader's, a seedy bar in the Bauhaus sec­tor. It's a dive in a side alley off Essen Street. Cyber­tronic could simply raid the place and take Pervertia into custody, but that wouldn't reveal what Pervertia is up to.

True, Cybertronic's interrogation techniques are rivaled only by those of the Inquisition, but even should Pervertia spill all she knows, it's likely that her compatriots would learn of her capture and change their plans accordingly.

It's the heroes assignment to find this Pervertia and learn exactly what it is that her group is up to. They are then to report back to Waxton for further orders.

THE MIXED GROUP It's best to have at least one Cyber in the group, although it's not strictly necessary. If there is a Cyber in the group, that hero's first job is to recruit a team, pref­erably the other adventurers. Waxton will only brief Cybers personally. Any others along on the mission must be brought up to speed by the Cyber heroes.

If the other characters are freelancers, they are hired by Cybertronic to assist in the investigation. If the adventurers are from other megacorps, they are part of an intercorporate team set up by the Cartel to help keep everyone honest. If they're all Doomtroop­ers, this is simply enough done. Otherwise, it's slight-

HER SERENITY TO MEET WITH THE OVERLORD.

In an unprecedented move, Her Serenity of Imperial has finally accepted the Overlord Mishima's long-standing offer to meet with him, only it looks like she's doing it on her terms. The summit is to take place in the penthouse of the Imperial Grand, one of the finest and most secure locations in all of Luna, particularly if you're Imperial. Rumors abound as to what the two could be dis­cussing in the first open conver­sation they've had in over fifteen years, but smart money is being placed on one word: Fukido.

ly irregular, but then again, life's made up of irregula­rities.

Some characters hailing from other megacorps may perceive a conflict of interest from time to time.

Use this as an opportunity for some good roleplay­ing. With luck and some sense, the heroes will stick together long enough to learn the truth behind what's going on.

ON YOUR WAY

Once the heroes have gotten together and been briefed, they're on their own. There are two obvious places to start: Prosthos, Inc., or Mader's. These encounters can be run in any order, depending on the adventurers' and their luck, but the others

should occur in sequence. In the end, these different paths should converge at a single point, one from which the heroes can hopefully derail the assassi­nation of both Victoria Paladine and the Overlord.

NEWS

The following news pieces should be brought to the heroes' attention throughout the game. Try to be as inconspicuous about them as possible (hard as that

ANTI- CYBER ATTACKS PERSIST. Early this morning, the residents of the factory town of Newsteel were rudely awakened by the second explosion at a Cybertronic subsidiary in a span of just three days. This time, an entire hang-ar of Cybertronic helicopters were destroyed, including a number of their highly vaunted Sky Witches. Three Cybercurity guards were caught in the blast, and although their bodies have yet to be recovered, they are presumed dead. Cybertronic's ETP released a statement saying that the explo-sion was some sort ofindustrial accident that they are investigating, but eyewitnesses report that Imperial soldiers were seen in the area only moments before the blast took place.

CARDINAL TO HOLD OPEN MASS. At midnight tonight, the Brotherhood will be hosting an open mass in Nathaniel Park, cele-brating the anniversary of the death of Cardinal Nathaniel Durand I so many years ago. As is tra-ditional, the Cardinal himself will perform the actual ceremony, with many members of the Curia at his side. Over 50,000 people are expec-ted to attend, while millions more will be wat-ching or listening to it from their homes. Check your local listings for full radio and television coverage.

might be for a big news piece). There are a few red herrings tossed in with the truly important stuff.

COLDING TO PRESENT EARNINGS AT SWANK BANQUET.

Capitol's President Charles William Colding is in Luna today, interviewing the Capitolians in charge of operations here. He is preparing to deliver his State of the Corporation address next week to the assembled members of the Board of Directors, and he wants to make damn sure he knows how things really are. Always seen as a man of the people, Col-ding will be dining at a massive banquet at the Capitol Eagle tonight, held in honor of the Capitol's Lunar citizens. All Capitol citizens eat for free, but tickets are limited due to space, and the annual event has been sold out for months already. The dinner is slated to end early enough for attendees to make the mass in Nathaniel Park.

ANTONIA IN CONCERT AT FELDSPAR AUDITORIUM

Antonia, one of the most popular female vocalists of all time, is in concert tonight at the Feldspar Auditorium. Opening up for her is the hot new band Lickity Split. Antonia will be performing all of her classic hits, plus a few new songs from her new album Don't Fear the Darkness. This show coin-cides with her 32nd birthday. Her father, Duke Saglielli himself, along with several other nobles from many of the Great Houses, will be in atten-dance, and a large bash is planned after the show at the legendary Ritz Bauhaus Ballroom.

PROSTHOS, INC. '

The wreckage at Prosthos is being excavated by the ICC. The bomb was fairly effective at destroying the building's large warehouse area. Fortunately, the structure itself was only slightly damaged (there's a hole in the warehouse's roof, now patched by a bright blue tarp), and nearby buildings lost only a few windows.

The woman in charge of the investigation is Mag­gie Bernard, an SWI TIFF with a number of VACs beneath her doing all of the drudge work of picking up the pieces and trying to patch them together. Maggie is a beautiful, petite young lady, standing just under five feet tall, with curly brown hair. She wears a red chic chip, the color alone declaring her dif­ference from the rest of the herd.

The investigation has been going well. People are carting things in and out of the warehouse area, beginning the laborious process of piecing every­thing together. When the heroes approach, they are halted by Cybercurity until they produce some sort of identification.

Maggie is helpful as she can be, but there's not much to tell. The explosive was apparently several pounds of TNT set off by a crude gunpowder fuse. Serurity in the area was light but solid. Maggie's team is trying to perform an inventory to see if any­thing is missing, but it might be several days before they can say for certain.

Moments before the explosion, the security came­ras picked up a shadowy figure skulking in the shad­ows. Computer analysis of the photograph revealed that the intruder-who somehow got past all of the alarms undetected-was dressed in Imperial combat armor, most specifically that of Clan Paladine's Blue Berets.

The camera only captured the Imperial for a few moments before the explosion went off destroying the camera and cutting off the tape.

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED Pervertia herself entered the warehouse last night via her Dark Gateway gift. Once inside, she stole a single artificial arm and a power source for it. To throw off the scent from herself, she wore Mk. II Imperial armor, complete with a blue beret.

The garb was taken off a Blue Beret commander named Sgt. Alexis Halston killed on Venus in a battle with Baalzacht's forces. In the tape, Halston's name is obvious on the armor's shoulder pad, never having been removed.

Once she had what she came for in hand, Pervertia set off a homemade TNT bomb she had carried in with her. This covered up the theft by destroying the inventory so that no one would miss a single artifi­cial arm-at least for a while. She left by means of a Dark Gateway moments before the bomb went off.

CALLING IMPERIAL The heroes may wish to contact Imperial to ask about Sgt. Halston. If they do, they are generally met with

Mader's is a sorry little roach trap like many others on the outskirts of the Bauhaus sector ofluna, or any of the other corporate sectors for that matter. It's patro­nized by those too down on their luck to care about the company they keep, yet tough enough to not have to worry too much about watching their wallets wherever they go. Most of the clientele spends the better part of their waking hours bellied up to the bar or skulking in a comer, wallowing in their misfortune and their beer.

The man behind the bar is named T.F. Mann. He doesn't own the place, but then again, no one else does either. He was the manager 10 years ago, work­ing his way through school, when the old owners dis-

skepticism and stonewalled, particularly if they are abusive. If they mention Halston by name, the per­son on the other end of the line (an officious bure­aucrat with a snotty Imperial accent) falls silent. After a moment, the man asks for the number of where they are right now and promises them a call back within the half-hour.

An hour later, the phone rings. It's Patricia Wils­hire with ISC-1. She tells to the heroes that Sgt. Halston was reported MIA in the Graveton Archipe­lago over four months ago, along with her entire unit. She then wants to know what business the adventurers have inquiring after a posthumously decorated member of the Blue Berets.

THE THIEF While all this is going on, another member of the Children of Liberty shows up disguised as one of the VACs helping to clean up the mess. With every­one coming and going, the perimeter of the blast sight is somewhat less than secure. However, the anxious fellow is obviously not a VAC to anyone that looks at him closely. VACs are never nervous.

The man's name is Drew Sadiver. He's been sent into the area by Pervertia to obtain a second power source for the artificial arm, since she apparently stole one that was bad. The heroes can spot him if one of them makes a Perception skill check at -3. His disguise is perfect (he stole his uniform from a Cyber lying unconscious in a nearby alley), but his mannerisms are anything but those of a VAC.

By the time the heroes spot Sadiver (if they in fact do), he's already got the power supply in his hands. He tries to make a run for it. The adven­turers can give chase, but he is fast and armed with an Aggressor handgun. He shoots to kill, but if he is obviously cornered, he turns the gun on himself. He refuses to be taken alive.

As a last resort, Sadiver will chomp down on a false tooth. It's filled with cyanide and will kill him instantly.

If Sadiver gets away, he returns to Pervertia's hideout with the power supply. Otherwise (which is likely), Pervertia's assassin has to do without the use of his left arm.

appeared. Since they had no next of kin, Mann opted to neglect reporting their absence, and he's been run­ning the place like his own ever since.

He is a small man with short sandy hair, hom-rim­med glasses and a boyish smile he probably should have lost years ago. He puts up with a lot in his place, even fights, but only bareknuckled brawling is allow­ed. As soon as he sees a weapon, he reaches behind the bar for his HG-14 shotgun. He fires one warning shot before he begins taking out combatants. It's usually enough.

The back region of the tavern, back behind the scarred and tarnished chrome bar, is a favorite hang­out for Pervertia and her compatriots in the Children

MADER'S

PERVERTIA'S TABLE

of Liberty. She is there today. drinking and shouting and generally feeling good, still high on adrenaline from the feat she pulled off the night before. She is surrounded by a few of her closest friends, lackeys really, people who she has entangled in her charis­matic web of Darkness.

Although there are no pictures ofPervertia on file, it's hard to miss her when you know the kind of per­son you're looking for. Her hair is long, black and stringy and entirely shaved from the right side of her head. Her eyebrows have been dyed a flame-red orange, and her pupils are wide and black with her insanity, almost entirely consuming her pale blue iri­ses. She is tattooed across most of her visible skin in all sorts of Dark designs, and her flesh is pierced in at least a dozen exposed places and certainly elsewhere as well.

It's a wonder Pervertia hasn't been turned in for heresy just based on her looks. but the people here at Mader's have a hard enough time worrying about how they're going to get by without getting involved in such rubbish as demonic cults. They're certainly not going to stick their scrawny necks out to bother with some woman whom they consider to be some brazen poser, merely playing with children's tales of Darkness.

When the heroes enter the bar, all conversation stops. This is not a subtle place. Everyone stares at them unabashedly. They are outsiders, and they very likely do not appear like they are here for a friendly drink.

If the heroes don't bother to look in the back of the bar, they will miss Pervertia, who has fallen as silent as the rest. At the first mention of her name, though, she orders her companions into combat with the investigators. They readily oblige her.

THE FIGHT There are enough "cultists" so that there's one for each character. All of them are low-level punks, none of whom have actually been initiated into the cult proper. They are all members of the Children of liber­ty, but among this group, only Pervertia is a true fol­lower of Algeroth.

The thugs attack the heroes with their bare hands, none of them able to afford a decent weapon any­how. All things being equal, the should have their

heads handed to them by the adventurers. If this looks imminent, Pervertia uses her Dark Gateway to escape into the sewers beneath the tavern.

If the heroes draw weapons at any time, Mann unsheathes his shotgun and fires a shot into the ceil­ing. If she hasn't already done so, Pervertia will cert­ainly use this opportunity to escape.

In any case, her abandoned companions fight on. They known they are outmatched, but they are cer­tain that they'll go to jail for being involved in the Children of Liberty, so they will fight to the death (or until they're knocked unconscious, which is more lik­ely). None of the other patrons will involve them­selves in the fight unless they are bumped or hit, and in any case, they'll sit right down once any kind of weapons are revealed.

AFTERWARD Once Pervertia has escaped (mocking the heroes loudly as she goes) and the thugs have been defeated, it's up to the heroes to figure out where she's gone. Even a Cyber with a compu-brain and a new nose would have a hard time following the Heretic leader through the sewers. The scent of the waste is mind­numbing, more than enough to mask Pervertia's scent. Following her seems out of the question, but there's always the thugs to deal with.

Assuming the heroes haven't killed all of the thugs, they should be able to revive one of them and interrogate him (using the appropriate skill checks, or course). They'll play it tough at first, but if any of the heroes bring up turning the thugs over to the Inquisition, they'll crack like rotten eggs.

The thugs all know where the Children of Liberty's hideout is, and they're happy to tell the heroes the proper address. They'll even accompany them, although only under duress. In any case, the adventurers should have a good idea of just where Pervertia is going.

If by some horrible accident (yeah, right) all of the thugs have been killed, Mann will happily volunteer the location of Pervertia's HQ, especially if it means that the heroes will leave his bar in peace (rather than pieces). If Mann is also incapacitated, one of the other patrons should be able to help them if asked. It seems secrecy wasn't one ofPervertia's strong points.

THE HERETICSO HIDEOUT

The Children of liberty's headquarters is in an aban­doned building in a warehouse district on the out­skirts of Luna. The entire place is one large cluttered room. Rotting mattresses in one corner comprise the cult's sleeping area, and a large scarred table nearby serves as Pervertia's pulpit when she hands out assignments to the cultists.

The whole area is scattered tightly with crates and boxes of material stolen from businesses across the city. Some of them have been there long before the cult was formed, and even Pervertia does not know their contents for sure. There is only one reason she chose this place as her home base: privacy.

The warehouse was formally owned by a Bauhaus subsidiary that went bankrupt, and it has been aban­doned for many years. Pervertia laid claim to it, and the few squatters that didn't join up with her band were either run off or sacrificed to Algeroth.

Despite the fact that Pervertia seems fairly secure in her headquarters. she remains cautious. Guards are posted at all four corners of the roof. and two each at the building's front and back door. Two more of the Children guard the two Sky Witches hidden under large gray tarps atop the warehouse's roof.

Two ladders run along the inside of the ware­house's walls, allowing access to the roof. Nearby buildings are over thirty yards away on each side,

PERVERTIA'S HIDEOUT

making it difficult to get to or from the roof from them. In the center of the warehouse floor, there's a man-hole which provides access to the tunnels that run beneath Luna's rocky surface.

In one corner of the building, there's a make· shift operating room. Mostly dried blood covers everything, and a human left arm lies on a nearby workbench. This belonged to Rand Crandall. the secret agent that Pervertia has placed at the Imperial Grand.

THE RAID Eventually the heroes will want to try to get into the warehouse. Subterfuge will not work well, as the guards are extremely suspicious of outsiders, and Pervertia has told everyone about the tight in Mader's. Besides which, with their plans so close to fruition, every one of the Heretics is on edge.

They will be brusque with anyone who wanders by, and they will shoot any one who gets too close to them (or who is obviously acting aggressively toward them). All of these people are fanatics. wil­ling to lay down their lives for the cause that they believe in. They know full well that some of them will likely not survive the day.

Eventually matters will very likely boil down to a firefight. Besides the guards around the perimeter,

LADDER

LADDER

--...~• MEDICAL

EQUIPMENT

there are eight others inside, plus six full-fledged Heretics that have been fully initiated into the cult, not to mention Pervertia herself.

Once the first shots are fired (or other noises are made to alert the Children of Liberty that they've been found out), the Heretics take up their arms and attack any outsiders that they see. Pervertia immedi­ately teleports to the roof, directly into one of the

Sky Witches. She is not willing to let her mission be foiled . Everyone else is expendable in the name of fulfilling Algeroth's design.

She immediately orders the guards to remove the tarp from her Sky Witch and then takes off as soon as possible for the Imperial Grand. While she races off toward downtown Luna, her compatriots cover her retreat as best as they can, fighting to the death.

THE CHASE

Once the heroes have managed to get to the roof, they should notice that Pervertia has taken off in a Sky Witch. Even if they didn't actually see her leaving, they must have heard the noise of the chopper's bla­des, and they can see the now-empty tarp lying near­by. Underneath a second tarp is another Sky Witch, a backup that Pervertia had stolen in case something went wrong with the first one.

A brave hero with the appropriate skills could take the spare Sky Witch and follow after Pervertia. Remember that the craft is only designed for a single rider, though, so the others will have to be left behind. Perhaps they can follow by some other avai­lable means.

If the pursuing character is dose enough behind Pervertia, use the rules for dogfights from Capitol. They are summarized here, although they have been trimmed down to cover only the situation at hand.

Pervertia will tailgate any time she wins the Dog­fight Roll until she takes some damage. At any time that her craft is doing worse than her opponent's, then she'll attempt to break off combat instead. Her mission is of primary importance.

If the hero flying the other craft knows where Per­vertia is headed, she needs to break off combat three times to successfully elude pursuit.

DOGFIGHTS Dogfights take place between aircraft. It's assumed that all involved aircraft are in constant motion and seeking any advantage over their opponents.

The combat round consists of two simple steps-­a Dogfight Roll and (if any weapons bear on a target) attacks. When combat is resolved, start a new round with another Dogfight Roll.

At the start of the combat round, both pilots roll ld20 and add their Flying Vehicles SVs. This is called the Dogfight Roll. The side with the highest total can choose to make the following maneuvers:

GAIN HEIGHT. You are now above your oppo­nent. Add + 2 to any subsequent Dogfight Rolls until you dive or your opponent gains height, too. You are also at +2 when you shoot, and your opponent is at -2 to evade.

TAILGATE. You move into position behind your foe, and it cannot shoot at you. Your opponent is at -2 to evade.

DIVE. If you are above your foe, you can swoop down, losing the advantage of height but gaining +4 to your shooting this round. Your target is at -4 on all evasion rolls. You can only dive if you are above

your foe. If your opponent has broken off combat, you close the distance again automatically.

BREAK OFF COMBAT. You begin to move away from the fight. Both you and your foe are at -4 to your shooting rolls. If you can break off twice, you are out of the fight.

CLOSE RANGE. If your foe has managed to open the range by breaking off once, you can close it again.

RANGE In a dogfight, it's assumed that both sides are moving into optimum range for their weapons. Therefore, there are no range penalties in dogfight combat unless one side has broken off combat.

SHOOTING Once the Dogfight Roll is made, both sides can shoot with any weapons that bear. Shooting consists of three steps--attack roll, evasion roll and damage check. THE ATTACK ROLL. The Sky Witch's weapons are fuselage-mounted guns, so average your Flying Vehicles and Weapon System SVs. If any attack rolls are successful, the defender gets to make an evasion roll for each hit. THE EVASION ROLL. Roll once to try to avoid each successful attack. Average the target pilot's SVs in Flying Vehicles and Avoid. Apply any modifications from the above maneuvers. If a roll is successful, that attack is avoided. DAMAGE CHECK. For each attack that goes in, roll damage and check the Vehicle Damage Table to determine its effect.

OUTCOME If Pervertia gets away, she'll attack the penthouse of the Imperial Grand with whatever ordnance she has left. As GM, it's up to you if she actually succeeds. After all, her timing could be off, and Her Serenity and the Overlord Mishima could be elsewhere at the time of her attack. Or they could miraculously survive the massacre. their underlings throwing themselves between the bullets and their charges. IF PERVERTIA SUCCEEDS. The face of your campaign will change greatly. lord Heir Moya will become the Overlord Mishima, but his succession is sure to be challenged by his two siblings. This inter­nal struggle should keep Mishima occupied for many months to come.

Similarly, Victoria Paladine's death will mean that the Imperial Parliament needs to elect another High

Serene Leader. Once they do (it will almost certainly be another Paladine that ocrupies the throne once again), the Parliament will call for an all out war against Cybertronic in retribution for their cowardly assassination of their beloved leader.

Cybertronic's protests of innocence will be igno­red. Anything the heroes say will be immediately dis­counted as soon as it's discovered who it was that they were working for. After all, Cybertronic would say or do anything to escape responsibility for their atrocity, right? IF PERVERTIA FAILS. lfthe heroes had noth­ing to do with Pervertia's failure (as GM, you simply decide that her attack fails). the Overlord Mishima and Victoria Paladine survive the Heretic's attack unscathed, although the same cannot be said for

their people. Still, the reception tonight is an important one. It will go on-to simply show the public that everything is all right if nothing else.

In this case, Rand's attack will proceed as planned. IF THE HEROES SUCCEED. The adventu· rers will be lauded as heroes by Imperial, Mishima and even their Cybertronic employers. They have prevented a great tragedy from taking place, and they shall be the guests of honor at tonight's feast. Still , despite all the accolades, the heroes should have a nagging feeling that something's wrong. The heroes have still not found the missing artificial arm and whoever's currently attached to it-presuma­bly the owner of the arm they found in the ware­house.

Of course, Rand's attack will proceed as planned.

THE MOLE

Even ifPervertia fails, she still has a backup plan. One of the Children of liberty, a bitter man named Rand Crandall, volunteered to sacrifice an arm to have the chance to put a bullet in the brain of Her Serenity.

When he was a child at Bauhaus, his entire family was slaughtered in an Imperial raid. Orphaned, with no relatives to step forward to claim him and bring him back into the Bauhauser fold, he was put out onto the streets of Heimburg. There, he begged and scratched out a living as best he could, and the hate in his heart festered until it became an almost living thing.

Pervertia, an ex-Imperial, found him there after her family had expelled her from the corporation for crimes she had committed with unusual cruelty. She had already started down the road to heresy, and this much was obvious to Rand. Despite his fury with Imperial and Bauhaus, he was unable to stomach turning to the Darkness, and so the two soon parted ways.

When Pervertia needed a person untouched by the Darkness to assist her in her evil scheme, she tur­ned immediately to Rand. She explained her plot to him, as well as why he was needed. Someone touched by the Dark Soul would be detected by Inquisitors either before or after the assassination. Since no one at Cybertronic had even been found with any taint of the Darkness at all, this would dis­credit her attempt to pin the killings on Cybertronic.

Rand was perfect for the job. His thirst for revenge had grown so much that he hardly flinched when Pervertia told him that they'd have to replace his arm with one stolen from Cybertronic. After all, he hardly expected to live through the assassination of Her Serenity. What was the loss of a limb compar­ed to the sacrifices he was willing to make?

In preparation for the killing, Rand spent the last six months working as a waiter at the Imperial Grand. He knew that Her Serenity often stayed at the Grand when visiting Luna, especially when hosting matters of state. Eventually his chance to get close enough to kill her would come.

The arm that Pervertia heisted for Rand has a bum power supply. This means that, although the arm is

attached, it does not work at all. (Unless Sadiver actually managed to escape with the good power supply.) Despite this and the harrowing surgery Rand recently underwent to have the arm attached, he is determined to go to work tonight.

Rand has arranged to be one of the servants at Her Serenity's reception for the Overlord Mishima. At some point during the dinner, he will be close enough to Victoria Paladine to pull out his Pl 000 and blast her away. After that, he'll happily turn the gun on himself, leaving the Inquisitors that inevitably attend such events nothing to work with but a corpse.

STOPPING RAND Stopping Rand is going to be difficult. After all, the heroes don't know what he looks like or who he is. As a servant at the Grand, Rand pretty much has the run of the place, and after six months of exemplary service, hardly anyone will be suspicious of him. There are, though, a few telltale ways to spot him.

For one, his left arm simply doesn't work. It hangs limply at his side like the dead weight that it is. It causes Rand to slouch a bit to his left, and the weight of the arm pulls against the sutures attaching the arm to his body.

One minute before Rand is about to make his move, the arm starts bleeding, and the red stains show right through his white waiter's jacket. When he spots it, he knows he will not be able to last much longer, so he decides to kill Her Serenity immediate· ly.

Unless they happened to have stopped Pervertia's attack and are now guests of honor at the dinner, the worst problem the heroes are going to have is get­ting into the ballroom. Even if they try to be subtle about it, they will surely run into the tight security that surrounds such events. There are a few different ways that they can go, though.

They can try to sneak in. This would be made easi­er if at least one of the characters was an Imperial with some kind of high-level contact. Then, when Rand makes his move, they can try to stop him.

They can tell the truth. While the Imperials are reluctant to believe anything told to them by some­one from Cybertronic, they will take the threat seriously. Unfortunately, when Rand feels the noose beginning to close around his neck, he'll simply step up his timetable and

attack Her Serenity THE OVERLORD

to worry about getting into the ballroom, but they will not be permitted to keep their weapons with them. This can make stopping Rand problematic unless they come up with something innovative or are just particularly lucky and alert.

right away. ':; ..... ~~-~~:ll~·~~~ They can bust in __. ·· · ·

HER SERENITY

fighting. This will bring all of the Imperial guards down on their heads at once. Assuming that they manage to deport themselves well and make it into the penthouse ballroom, they will arrive just in time to see Rand attacking Her Serenity. Due to the noise, though, the security around Victoria Paladine will have tightened considerably, and chances are good that Rand will be brought down befo­re he can succeed.

lfthe heroes alre­ady stopped Perver­tia, they won't have (/JJ : ..

~FTERMATH

Whether or not the adventurers manage to foil Per· vertia's plot can have a drastic effect upon the future of the worlds of Mutant Chronicles, not to mention the heroes' well-being. Some options are outlined here. IF RAND SUCCEEDS. Victoria Paladine is dead, as is her killer. The Parliament will elect a new High Serene Leader. Most likely this will be another Paladine, but you never know. Perhaps some other factions within Imperial will see this as the right time to take a stab at the throne themselves.

In any case, once Imperial manages to collect itself, the Parliament will be screaming for retribu­tion, and Cybertronic is doomed to bear the brunt of it. Even if the heroes produce evidence ofPervertia's plot, they will not be listened to, since they were in Cybertronic's employ at the time. Besides which, Imperial will not be willing to listen to reason at that point. The entire corporation will be out for blood­and chrome. IF RAND FAILS. Even if Rand fails to kill Her Serenity, he will have irreparably harmed Cyber­tronic's relationship with Imperial. Some pundits

once thought that things between the two mega· corps could hardly get worse without breaking into full-out war. They were wrong.

ISC-5 will immediately begin a full-scale covert war against Cybertronic, complete with terrorist attacks and manufacturing evidence that the Cybers are planning to take over Imperial in a sneak attack. If enough popular support builds, the Imperials will make a preemptive strike against the chromed cor­poration and full-out war will ensue soon after. IF THE HEROES SUCCEED. The adventu· rers will be lauded as heroes by all. Despite this, some in Imperial will think it too unlikely that this group managed to foil such a plot and will denounce it as a risky publicity stunt undertaken by Cybertronic in a transparent effort to better relations between the two corporations.

Even if matters don't change too much between the megacorps, the heroes can expect substantial bonuses from Cybertronic for their fine work. Plus, if Cybertronic needs that kind of help again in the futu· re (and they inevitably will), they know who to call.